Description of the situation
06 May 2002
Disease Outbreak Reported
The emergence of meningococcal
serogroup W135 in Burkina Faso has major implications for public health in the African
continent. A research agenda has been agreed by Le Comité National de Pilotage pour la
Méningite (Crisis Committee) established by
the Ministry of Health in Burkina Faso and supported in its
implementation by a research team consisting of WHO, Epicentre, WHO Collaborating
Centre for Reference and Research on Meningococci, Oslo, Norway,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, United States ) and l'Association pour la Médecine préventive (AMP). The topics include: a detailed description and evaluation of the risk factors of
the current epidemic; an ecological analysis of association between vaccine coverage and
epidemics; N. meningitidis seroprevalence and carriage; and
the socioeconomic impact of the epidemic. The team
is assessing the feasibility of estimating immunogenicity and efficacy of
tetravalent vaccine. Niger: As
of 21 April 3 518 cases including 308 deaths (case-fatality ratio 8.8%) have been reported
to WHO. The district
of Matameye (Zinder) is still particularly affected. La Direction Régionale de la
Santé Publique et de la Lutte contre les Endémies of Maradi is investigating the
situation in the districts of Dakaro and Guidan-Roumdji where cases are still being
reported by the local health teams.
Burkina
Faso: As of 28 April 11 899 cases including 1 368 deaths (case-fatality ratio
11.5%) have been reported to WHO.
During the week of 22 April - 28 April, the number of cases reported, 652 cases
and 67 deaths with a weekly case-fatality rate of 10.5%, indicate a downward trend in
the epidemic .