Meningitis cases up to 48

Meningitis cases in northern Namibia have risen to 48 after nine more cases were reported in the Ohangwena region, ‘The Namibian’ reported on Wednesday. The director of health in the region, Dr Naftali Hamata, said that no further deaths have been reported beyond the five already known. Last week the North West Health Directorate began an immunisation campaign against meningitis in the Engela Health District. According to Hamata they could only immunise about 20,000 of the estimated 23,000 people under 20 years of age in the affected area as vaccine supplies had run out. He said that more vaccine had been ordered from Windhoek and the immunisation campaign in the affected area would continue as soon as the new supplies arrived. “So far we haven’t had reports of meningitis cases from other regions or health districts, but we are on alert for any cases reported to us from regions rather than Ohangwena,” Hamata said.