Over 336 people have died and 2,997 others affected by the cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) epidemic ravaging large parts of the country. Ninety-two Local Government Areas in 16 states, including Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe, Gombe, Cross River, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Nassarawa, Jigawa, Niger, Taraba, Plateau, Kano and Osun, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), are affected.

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There are reports also of the outbreak in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Togo and Burkina Faso. These countries form part of the African Meningitis Belt, which sweeps across 26 countries, including Senegal, Gambia and Guinea Bissau on the West Coast and Ethiopia and Eritrea in the East.
The current CSM epidemic is one of the worst outbreaks of the disease in the country. The worst was recorded in 1996 when about 109,508 cases and over 11,000 deaths occurred. The rising casualties of the current outbreak confirm the seriousness of the situation and the need for prompt and effective intervention to stem the scourge.
One thing that the outbreak has demonstrated is the need for constant vigilance and surveillance activities to contain the disease as soon as it is recorded anywhere in the country. It is also very important to immunise people in the susceptible areas of the country, even as our neighbouring countries are encouraged to do the same.  Health authorities across all tiers of government should be fully mobilised and equipped to respond to cases during the hot season when the disease is most rampant.
As the Federal Ministry of Health has disclosed, a different strain of the meningitis bacteria is ravaging the country. Until know, the more common attack was from the Neisseria Meningitides type A. But this time, tests have revealed Neisseria Meningitides type C as rampant. Who knows what strain it would be next time? This is why our health authorities must sit up and rise up to the meningitis challenge.
From available reports, there was little readiness for this strain of the bacteria that is currently devastating the country. 500,000 doses of the Meningitis C vaccines have only now been secured from the World Health Organisation (WHO), to be immediately deployed to Zamfara and Katsina, which are two of the most affected states. Another 823,970 doses of the vaccine are to be delivered by the United Kingdom.
But more importantly, our health authorities must concentrate on the factors that have made meningitis endemic in Nigeria. Extreme heat is a known factor. Seeing that this is a natural phenomenon in this part of the world, we should concentrate on the remedies, with a view to mitigating its   impact on the health of the people.
We need to look into the problem of poor ventilation and absence of cross ventilation in many of the houses in the rural areas of northern Nigeria. We believe the design of the houses with small upper windows is a response to the whirlwinds, harsh cold and sandstorms in this part of the country. Religious and cultural considerations which encourage seclusion also probably contribute to the design of the houses. This is a serious problem as the housing design makes them prone to poor ventilation. The homes are also sometimes clustered and overcrowded.
What government and other concerned partners can do is to encourage   tree planting in the communities to improve aeration and general ventilation, as well as serve as a buffer against the harsh weather, which is the lot of this part of the country for about two-thirds of the year.
Some of the known symptoms of the CSM, no matter the strain that is active at any particular time, include headache, nausea, vomiting, high fever, disorientation, confusion and stiff neck. Unfortunately, the logistics for actual detection and proper monitoring of the symptoms are grossly inadequate. Since these endemic areas are known, mass vaccinations to ward off possible attacks from meningitis should be the first line of defence, but cultural and religious influences have been known to get in the way.
The long term cure, however, is more education, more public enlightenment and more advocacy of the kind the Emir of Kano, Mohammed Sanusi II, embarked upon recently.
To check the current outbreak, government at all levels must ensure a synergy of their resources and energies so that the casualty figures do not escalate and the epidemic can be quickly brought under control. Infected persons should be properly treated and every effort made to prevent further spread of the disease.