Médecins Sans Frontières deployed emergency teams to support the Nigerien Ministry of Health with its campaign to curb the meningitis C epidemic that has being affecting several regions of the country since March. Between 2 January and 7 May, there were 3,037 reported cases of meningitis, and of these 179 people died.
In response to the epidemic, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) supported the health authorities during a targeted vaccination campaign in the regions of Niamey, Tillabéry, Dosso and Tahoua. More than 358,800 people aged between 2 and 20 were vaccinated in 24 health zones that had reached alert or epidemic thresholds.
Since the beginning of the year, Médecins Sans Frontières has been working with the Ministry of Health on rapidly treating meningitis patients and monitoring areas at high risk. This has been done in parallel with the vaccination response. MSF supplied 3 hospitals and 24 health centres in the regions of Niamey, Dosso, Tillabéry and Tahoua with equipment such as medicines, rapid diagnostic tests and laboratory kits, lumbar puncture needles, syringes and even mattresses. MSF also reinforced medical staff when it came to rapid case detection and optimal levels of care.
In 2015 and 2016, MSF teams supported the Ministry of Health’s response to the meningitis epidemic in the regions of Niamey, Zinder, Tahoua, Tillabéry and Dosso. During the 2016 epidemic there were 1,538 cases reported between January and June, and of these 114 people died.