22 districts in Burkina Faso declared meningitis 'epidemic' zones

Twenty-two districts in this West African nation have been declared epidemic zones, following the death of more than 400 people in a meningitis outbreak, health officials said.

The deaths are out of nearly 5,000 meningitis cases since January in Burkina Faso, a country inside what the World Health Organization calls Africa's "meningitis belt," the agency said.

A statement released by the country's ministry of health said that while 22 districts have been classified as epidemic zones, another 15 are on alert. Four are inside the densely populated capital.

The meningitis belt _ stretching from Senegal, Africa's westernmost country, to Ethiopia in the east _ has seen 1,670 deaths out of 15,595 cases since the beginning of the year, according to WHO.

The outbreak is concentrated in four countries: Burkina Faso, Congo, Sudan and Uganda. The highest death toll was in Burkina Faso, where WHO reports 432 have died, although health officials put the death toll higher at 583; 430 deaths were reported in Sudan; 105 in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 87 died in Uganda.

WHO has sent more than 500,000 doses of the meningitis vaccine to Burkina Faso. Another 500,000 are expected by the end of the week, local health officials said.

Meningitis is an infection of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord caused by bacteria, which is transmitted from person to person through body fluids, including those expelled in coughing and sneezing.