A suspected meningitis outbreak has resulted in the deaths of twenty students across three boarding girls’ secondary schools and the Federal Government Girls’ College in Potiskum and Fika local government areas of Yobe State.
The Yobe State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Mohammed Sani-Idris told journalists that “20 students have been confirmed dead in the last few weeks from the suspected meningitis outbreak across some boarding secondary schools in Potiskum and Fika local government areas. Many have been hospitalized but now discharged”.
He explained that after the outbreak at the secondary schools, “I as Commissioner, my Permanent secretary and the Executive Secretary of the State’s Science Technical Board as well as the Chairman of the Teaching Service Board have relocated to Potiskum temporarily to ensure the disease does not escalate”.
In the meantime, Governor Mai Mala Buni, represented by his Deputy Idi Barde-Gubana, visited the affected schools including Fika Government Secondary School, Government Science Technical College, and Federal Government Girls’ Technical College, all located in Potiskum. Additionally, they visited Government Girls’ Science Technical College in Gadaka, Fika Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Buni said: “As part of the effort geared towards containing and effectively tackling the outbreak, the government has already provided the emergency treatment drugs as well as deployment of a rapid response team to all the affected areas”.
During the briefing at Specialist Hospital Potiskum, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Isa Bukar, informed the Governor’s representative that a total of 214 cases were documented, with three individuals still undergoing treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
It’s worth noting that a similar outbreak had previously claimed the lives of numerous residents in the Degubi community of Fika Local Government Area in April 2023.