Dust Storms May Start Epidemics

Dust storms that blow across Africa's sub-Saharan territory of Sahel may be linked to lethal meningitis outbreaks that often hit this region of 300 million inhabitants.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord lining that results in seizures, deafness, and frequently - when not treated - death.  It attacks mostly children and young adults.

Meningococcal meningitis - caused by the meningococcus bacteria - is the only form of the disease that spreads in epidemic form.   Outbreaks occur throughout the world but are most common during the dry season in the "meningitis belt" of Sahel.

"The dryness and dust does not spread the bacteria directly," said Isabelle Jeanne of the Niger-based Centre de Recherche Médicale et Sanitaire (CERMES). "Instead it seems as though the irritation caused to local inhabitants' mucus membranes renders them more vulnerable to bacterial infection."

Normally, meningococcus dwells harmlessly in the nose and throat - in fact, up to a quarter of the people in Sahel may be carrying the bacteria without any symptoms.   But when it enters the bloodstream, meningococcus becomes a potential killer. 

The epidemics typically abate after a good rain, Jeanne said.  She is working with the European Space Agency to determine if dust storms - visible in satellite images - can help predict meningitis outbreaks.

• U.N. Study: Earth's Health Deteriorating
• Bird Flu Pandemic Imminent, Health Official Says

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: DLR, ESA