2010-03-06 17:58:26 - Epidemic - Burkina Faso EDIS CODE: EP-20100306-25224-BFA
Date & Time: 2010-03-06 17:58:26 [UTC]
Area: Burkina Faso, , Sahel Region, Damage level: Heavy (Level 3)
Not confirmed information! Description: Health officials in the west African country of Burkina Faso are worried about an increase in deaths from meningitis which has killed about 250 people so far this year, up from 203 in the same period last year. Meningitis, which inflames the lining of the brain and can be transmitted by mosquitoes, tends to strike countries in the Sahel region during the dry season, which typically runs from November to June. The Sahel stretches 2,400 miles across 11 countries and lies between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian savannas in the south. "We are worried about the expansion of this epidemic," Health Ministry official Sylvestre Tiendrebeogo said, without giving a possible reason for the rise. Cases usually peak in Burkina Faso, Chad, northern Nigeria and Niger around April. Tiendrebeogo said nearly 1,600 cases of the disease had been recorded in Burkina Faso so far this year, compared to 1,281 in the same period last year. He said the government was trying to stem the outbreak with a vaccination program.
The name of Hazard: Meningitis
Species: Human
Status: Confirmed
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Publicado por
NEWS
