Central nervous system infections in the rain forest zone of Nigeria

• DOI: 10.4314/eamj.v78i2.9097
• Publication Date: 2011-11-26T14:21:31Z
• Authors: C. M. Nwosu; G. E. Njeze; C. Opara; C. Nwajuako; C. K. Chukwurah
• Keywords: Aseptic meningitis

To ascertain incidence rates of central nervous system infections and provide information for health care planners.A two-stage screening through supervised case referrals diagnostic evaluation at referral centre to establish a register CNS infections.A rural community in the rainforest zone Nigeria with land area 186500 m2, average daily temperature 28 degrees C, annual rainfall 2080 mm, adult population 109851 served by 26 primary, three secondary twelve comprehensive facilities. More than two per cent populations live waterlogged areas.Adults aged sixteen years above, constituting incident cases infections.Incident 100,000 averaged over year observational period.Incidence were 3.6, 4.1, 2.3, 09, 1.8, 0.9 acute bacterial meningitis, aseptic rabies encephalitis, non-rabies tuberculous meningitis chronic non-tuberculous meningoencephalitis, respectively. Syphilitic neuroarthropathy had 0.46.Mortality from pyogenic remained distressingly high. Aseptic highest rate, yet inadequately emphasised. Rabies encephalitis was third commonest cause infection area.