More than 1,000 people have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria, the Centre for Disease Control said today, but added that the spread of the disease is slowing.

The outbreak has mostly affected children in Africa’s most populous country.

As of May 9, a total of 13,420 suspected cases had been reported in 23 states with 1,069 deaths, giving a fatality ratio of eight per cent, the CDC said in a statement.

The northern states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi, which were the worst affected, have all seen a drop in the number of cases