Dr Uthman Mubashir, a public health physician, on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to provide adequate vaccines for the prevention of meningitis in the country.

Mubashir, a Consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), gave the advice in Ilorin, saying the country was presently contending with extreme heat wave and an outbreak of the disease in parts of the country.

According to the consultant, meningitis tends to set in at the peak of the dry season due to the hot weather.

He described meningitis as an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Mubashir added that the swelling of the membranes always triggered symptoms such as headache, fever, and a stiff neck.

“People should avoid overcrowded areas and people having excessive cough, ” he said.

He blamed the extreme heat wave on the activities of man, saying that the destruction of the eco-system as well as tree felling were some of the cause of the hot weather.

“This heat is man-made. Let us save the environment for man and save man from himself,” he said.