Fear of measles epidemic spreading

There are concerns that a measles epidemic in northern Kano State is getting worse, Medecins Sans Frontieres reported on Monday. Out of over 424 people who were admitted to hospitals in Kano city since January, 84 have died. At the end of March and in early April the number of new cases rose rapidly, the MSF news release said. “There have been more and more cases every week and we are not at the peak yet,” MSF country manager Andrew Cunningham said. “It will be another few weeks before we see the worst.” Northern states, including Niger and Sokoto, are also suffering an outbreak of meningitis. Niger’s health commissioner recently blamed the outbreak, in which a number of people have died, on overcrowding in villages and “intense heat” throughout the state.