Mystery illness in Liberia suspected to be meningitis- Minister
Medical samples from four of the victims of a disease in Liberia that initially baffled scientists have tested positive for a type of meningitis, the minister of health said.
So far a total of 31 cases of the so-called mystery illness has been reported, including 13 deaths in an outbreak linked to the attendance of a religious leader’s funeral.
While the symptoms are different from Ebola, the sudden deaths nevertheless stirred anxiety about an outbreak of the tropical illness which was often spread through burial rituals in the West African epidemic that ended less than a year ago.
She said the government was investigating options for mass vaccinations against the illness, characterised by swelling of the membranes in the brain and spinal cord. Further laboratory analysis is under way, she assured.NAN