The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that the epidemic ravaging CAR's northeast may kill up to one million people. An outbreak in the districts of Ouham, Ouham Pende and Nana-Grebizi caused numerous deaths in the first five weeks of this year.
The World Health Organization had requested the release of $100,000 from the U.N.'s Emergency Response Fund (ERF) to buy vaccines to protect about 80,000 people.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said; "protecting the people in the north of the Central African Republic will prevent meningitis from spreading to the rest of the country and into neighboring Chad."
The meningitis epidemic is the latest crisis to hit the landlocked CAR. Civilians are already affected by fighting between government troops and rebel forces. They are also being targeted by bandits.
