No major outbreak from meningococcal disease

ABSTRACT

The 2007-2008 epidemic season for meningococcal disease [MCD] is passing off in Sudan without any major outbreak being reported from the country either from its northern part or from southern Sudan. The epidemic season for MCDs, normally, starts in November and stretches as long as the rainy season begins in June-July in the country. Suspected cases of meningococcal diseases [MCD], though, occurred sporadically through out the current epidemic season in Sudan, no major outbreak was recorded. Between 01 January to 15 June 2008 only 2,94 suspected cases of MCDs including 12 deaths [CFR 4%] were reported by the Federal Ministry of Health [FMOH] of Sudan. However, localized outbreaks from MCDs were detected in one of the sectors [district] of North Kordofan state as well as in Nertiti IDP camp of West Darfur prompting for mass vaccination campaign in these two areas. The causative strain for these two localized outbreaks were N. meningitides serogroup-A. About 20,000 IDPs were vaccinated in Nertiti IDP camp while 60,407 people in the high risk age group [2-30 yrs] in Abuzabed district were vaccinated to contain these two localized outbreaks