Not less than seven children have died of meningitis in Jaja village of Gangara ward in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Also, 104 children were said to be affected by an outbreak of whooping cough that hit three villages in Bugaje wards in the same local government area.

 The Information Officer in the area, Saadu Suleiman, who confirmed this development to Vanguard yesterday, said the seven victims died as a result of the meningitis outbreak recorded in the last two to three days.

He disclosed that five of the victims were males and the other two, females, while several others were hospitalised at the health centres in Jaja village.

On the whooping cough, the Information Officer identified the three villages affected as Unguwar Kuka, Danbawa and Kaishemu, all in Bugaje ward, noting that no death has been recorded so far.

Suleiman, however, said the head of the local government has since intervened with the supply of drugs, which have been distributed to the affected area to avert spread and future occurrence of the outbreak.