Short communication: Meningitis propagation in southern Tanzania: the role of a village video show

Authors: Jahn A.; Kudzala A.; Kitundu H.; Lyamuya E.; Razum O.

Source: Tropical Medicine & International Health, Volume 6, Number 10, October 2001 , pp. 839-841(3)

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Abstract:

An outbreak of meningitis with 85 secondary cases and an unusually high attack rate of 16% occurred in a rural village in southern Tanzania. We investigated risk factors for clinical illness in a community-based case–control study. Attending a commercial mobile video show carried an age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio of 8.0 (95% confidence interval: 3.8–16.8). The videos had been shown in a windowless and overcrowded storeroom and had been attended by the primary case, a visitor from neighbouring Mozambique who died from meningitis on the following day. We conclude that mobile video shows, which have become popular in many developing countries, constitute a potential health hazard in areas prone to meningitis epidemics.

Keywords: meningitis; epidemiology; case–control study; Tanzania; infectious disease

Language: English

Document Type: Short communication

Publication date: 2001-10-01