A meningitis epidemic is devastating the sub-Saharan country of Niger. The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) has stepped up efforts to combat the disease with a grant of ECU 250,000.

Meningitis often breaks out in Niger between February and May when the weather is most dry. But Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which has been monitoring the epidemic, says the disease has never claimed so many victims before. "This is the most serious epidemic of cerebro-spinal meningitis ever recorded in the country," an MSF official said. So far, more than 14,500 cases have been reported, with over 1,500 deaths, a mortality rate of over 10 per cent.

ECHO's partners in the field are MSF-Belgium and France, which in March started work on prevention and treatment in and around the town of Niamey in response to a call from the World Health Organisation. Now the Niger government has appealed for a boost to efforts to control the disease.

MSF plans to vaccinate children under the age of 15 in the regions of Maradi, Dosso and Tahoua in a programme scheduled to last two months. It will also provide medicines, and epidemiological follow-up.

This grant is a second ECHO contribution to combating the current epidemic. In March, ECHO earmarked ECU 215,000 for preventive action, but the crisis has spread through the country despite early efforts, and the illness is now claiming adult victims as well as children.