61 deaths due to meningitis in Niger so far in 2016: UN
The United Nations says a total of 736 cases of meningitis have been officially recorded in Niger so far this year, among them 61 deaths in the landlocked West African state.
The local branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released the figures on Tuesday, saying that the cases were reported between January 4 and March 13.
Children under four comprised 30 percent of the overall cases, the UN office said, adding that 35 percent of the cases involved children aged between five and 14.
The African country suffered a serious outbreak of meningitis in 2015 that left over 500 people dead.
Last December, the World Health Organization warned of a risk of fresh meningitis outbreaks in 2016 in Africa, particularly in Niger and Nigeria.
The UN, along with medical charity, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), has launched mass vaccination programs in the affected areas, including the Nigerien capital city of Niamey.
Meningitis is usually caused by a viral infection, but it can also be bacterial or fungal in origin.
Depending on the cause, meningitis may get better on its own, or it can be life-threatening, requiring urgent antibiotic treatment.
Vaccines can prevent some forms of meningitis.
Last month, the UN warned that Niger is in need of more than three million doses of meningitis vaccines to avert a possible epidemic.
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