South Sudan on high alert over meningitis outbreak

South Sudan and its health partners are on high alert over a possible outbreak of meningitis in the infant country.

The country lies on the meningitis belt that stretches across Africa from Senegal in the West to Ethiopia in the East, putting it at high risk of an outbreak in this dry season.

According to experts, meningitis breaks out in the belt every four to five years.

"In the last six weeks of 2012, so far 24 suspected meningitis cases have been reported throughout South Sudan. Those were captured through weekly surveillance reports,” Dr Lul Riek, the director general for Community and Public Health said in a press statement on Saturday.

Dr Lul said 20 of the suspected cases were from the capital city Juba and the neighboring Yei County, both in Central Equatoria state.

The last outbreak of meningitis was in 2008, causing health partners, particularly the World Health Organisation to fear that there could be an outbreak this dry season.

Unconfirmed

However, Dr Lul said tests conducted at a Nairobi hospital did not confirm the epidemic.

"Five specimens of the cerebral spinal fluid were collected and sent to AMREF reference laboratory, all of them tested negative for a bacteria that causes meningitis, he said.
“ [But] We are very prepared, waiting to respond in case of any outbreak of meningitis,” he said.

The public have been urged to “remain vigilante and report any suspected case of meningitis to the nearest health facility.”

"We are in the season of meningitis and we already have some rumours,” Dr Lul said.

The WHO said it is in close coordination with the country’s health ministry.

"WHO has already procured the necessary drugs, vaccines, all the laboratory testing kids for meningitis as well as other diseases. These have been positioned in the ten states,” said a WHO doctor attached to the ministry of health.

"WHO will work very closely to provide necessary technical assistance to prevent any outbreak,” he said.