<div><p>The death toll from an outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria has risen to 960 people of out more than 17,000 people infected since Jan. 1, the World Health Organization said Friday.</p><p>"It's the first time we've had so many cases in northern Nigeria," an area outside the usual African "meningitis belt," said WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib.</p><p>She said Nigeria had registered 17,462 cases of meningitis during the three-month outbreak in Africa's most populous country and that WHO and other agencies are helping to vaccinate people against the disease.</p><p>Nigeria has had meningitis epidemics during the past three years, but they were smaller than this year, she said.</p><p>"Nigeria is a big country, and it is important to stop the empidemic."</p><p>Chaib said there is also a smaller meningitis outbreak to the north in Niger, which lies within the area more commonly affected by the disease, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.</p><p>"Meningitis is one of the most feared diseases in the countries of the meningitis belt," she said.</p><p>Chaib said Niger, to the north of Nigeria, has reported 4,513 people infected since the beginning of the year, with 169 deaths. In the last week alone, Niger has registered 1,071 cases, including 30 deaths, WHO said.</p><p>Meningitis is an inflammation of protective brain and spinal cord membranes and is caused by viral or bacterial infection.</p><p>"A meningitis epidemic is always serious," said Chaib. "It overwhelms the health facilities, disrupts routine activities, kills between 5 and 10 percent of the patients and can cause brain damage in 10 to 20 percent of those who survive."</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=45992996&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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