CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) is a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Cerebrospinal Meningitis is one among the first category of Epidemic Prone Diseases in Gombe State and equally among the first category of revised list of Nigeria Integrated Disease Surveillance Response (IDSR) priority diseases, conditions and events. Cerebro-spinal Meningitis (CSM) is a disease of public health importance considering the synergy between cases and case fatality rate do occurs. The worst CSM epidemics experienced in Nigeria occurred in 1996 when about 109,580 cases and 11,717 deaths were recorded, followed by the one in 2003; 4,130 cases with 401 deaths recorded then in 2008; 9,086 cases and 562 deaths (WHO, 2010).
The current Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak in Nigeria continues to pose a public health concern. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), cases of CSM were first reported in Zamfara State in 2016 and have since spread to sixteen (16) States including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Ninety (90) Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Sixteen (16) States across the federation  are so far affected which includes Zamfara, Kastina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Nassarawo, Jigawa, FCT, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Kano, Osun, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Plateau. The total number of people affected across these States is 2524 with 328 Deaths (case fatality rate) as of Friday, March 31, 2017 (FMOH). These indicators shows that Nigeria is repeatedly experiencing an outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) that has spread across the country and mostly affecting States in the upper parts of the country which falls within the African Meningitis Belt. Other countries that are facing similar outbreaks at the moment include our West-African Neighbours like Niger, Chad, Cameroun, Togo and Burkina Faso (WHO, 2010).