Meningitis epidemic threatens one million Central Africans, say UN officials

11 February 2008 – Up to one million people in the Central African Republic (CAR) are at risk from a meningitis epidemic sweeping across the northwest of their country, and overwhelmed local health authorities do not have enough vaccine stocks to meet demands, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned today.

An outbreak was declared after numerous deaths were reported in the districts of Ouham, Ouham Pendé and Nana-Grebizi in the first five weeks of this year, OCHA said in a press statement, and UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the country’s Government are working together to try to combat the epidemic.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25584&Cr=central&Cr1=african