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Meningitis outbreak "outstripping all previous epidemics"

[Togo] Journalists, rights activists and opposition politicians take to the streets of Lome to protest beating of an editor, October 2005. Joel Gbagba/IRIN
Manifestations pour dénoncer l'agression d'un journaliste au Togo
    LOMÉ

    The current meningitis outbreak in Sudan is "outstripping all previous epidemics" and the current hot, dry weather means it will probably continue to spread rapidly, putting more than a million people at risk.

    "The current need is for vaccine; we need donors to cover an extra 1,370,000 vaccine doses for the extension of the operation", IFRC spokesman John Sparrow told IRIN on Tuesday. A meningitis task force, coordinated by federal and state ministries of health, is fighting to contain the epidemic in White Nile, Gezira, Sennar, Kassala, Gedaref, Blue
    Nile and Red Sea states. "Conditions are still very conducive to the spread of meningitis. We will hopefully see it wane within weeks but at the moment there is no let-up", Sparrow said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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