At least 20 boarding school students have tragically lost their lives due to a meningitis outbreak in Nigeria, according to the announcement made by Mohammed Sani Idriss, the education commissioner of northeastern Yobe state, on Wednesday.

Idriss revealed that the outbreak has affected hundreds, with 473 students confirmed infected across six secondary schools in the state. 

The epicenter of the outbreak is Potiskum city, where Government Technical College has been severely impacted, accounting for 17 of the fatalities.

To address the crisis, the affected schools are now under medical surveillance, equipped with isolation centers, and emergency care facilities, as stated by Idriss.

He further reassured the public, stating, “The situation is under control because we have not recorded any new cases in the past two days, while 370 of those hospitalized have recovered and been discharged.”

Meningitis, an infection affecting the lining around the brain and spinal cord, spreads through respiratory droplets or throat secretions. With a high fatality rate, children are particularly vulnerable to its effects.

Nigeria is situated in the “meningitis belt” of sub-Saharan Africa, a region extending from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, where meningitis outbreaks are recurrent occurrences.