Togo Meningitis Deaths Rise to 70, More Than 860 Cases Reported
Togo Meningitis Deaths Rise to 70, More Than 860 Cases Reported
The death toll from a meningitis outbreak in Togo rose to 70 as the government attempted to halt the disease by vaccinating more than 233,000 people, a health official said.
“Despite the massive vaccination program cases reported climbed to more than 800 and unfortunately 70 people were killed from 29 two weeks ago, ” Ministry of Health official Tsidi Agbeko Tamekloe said in comments broadcast on Lome-based Radio Victoire.
The outbreak in the West African nation was first reported in the Savannah region, 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital, Lome. It then spread to the Central, Kara and Maritime regions.
The vaccination program would continue in the affected zones until the disease is eradicated, Tamekloe said.