This early new year, it is possible to record cases of meningitis in the three northern regions (Adamaoua, North and Far North).
This is what we can read in the recent alert from the National Observatory on Climate Change (Onacc) of Cameroon. Onacc recommends that parents vaccinate their children against meningitis. That’s not all, because this government body, responsible for assessing the impacts of the climate, also asks populations to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from this infectious disease, which is often fatal.
If Onacc fears so many cases of meningitis, or even an epidemic, it is because of the harsh climate in these three northern regions. A climatic situation characterized by the presence of a cloud of dust maintained by the harmattan. Onacc also describes a “prevalence of violent harmattan winds” in the northern part of the country.
Everything suggests that these violent winds will not stop soon. Because Onacc forecasts reveal that we are in the middle of the dry season. And even that this January will be even hotter and dustier than last end of the year. In addition to meningitis, Onacc also warns the populations of the north against a prevalence of respiratory diseases due to a high concentration of dust in the atmosphere. Cases of conjunctivitis infection are also to be feared.