NewsDesk @bactiman63

In a follow-up on the meningitis outbreak in Togo, the Togolese Ministry of Health now reports a total of 123 suspected cases of meningitis reported in the Oti Sud district, including 12 deaths, through March 19.

meningitis epidemics
African meningitis Belt/CDC

The national reference laboratory confirmed the presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae in 17 cases by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture. Nearly 85% of the cases are over 10 years of age who are individuals born before the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014 in Togo. The 10-14 years age group makes up 31% of cases followed by the 15-24 years age group accounting for 27% of all cases.

Togo is part of the African meningitis belt and records cases and deaths from meningitis annually. Meningitis outbreaks due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, the current etiology in Togo, have the highest case fatality rate and the highest risk to result in the most serious sequelae.

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