SUDAN: Risk of meningitis epidemic spreading

Nearly 1,000 people have died from meningitis in Sudan and a further 16,000 have been infected since the beginning of the epidemic last December, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Aid agencies and the government have warned the figures could increase as the hot weather persists. The disease, first reported in the northern Darfur state, has spread to 18 out of 26 states. "The epidemic is expected to last until the end of June-July, depending on the geographical location of the states affected," the WHO report said. So far, 7.6 million people have been vaccinated under the auspices of a task force chaired by the federal ministry of health, the report said. A further 4.5 million need to be vaccinated during the next three weeks.