Niger was Wednesday scrambling to overcome a vaccine shortage amid the deaths of at least 265 people in a meningitis outbreak, dpa reported. Infections are rising rapidly, but Niger is in possession of only half the vaccines needed to control the outbreak in the West African nation of roughly 18 million people, said Health Minister Mano Aghali. More than 3,600 people were currently infected with the virus, which causes acute inflammation of the membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord, the Health Ministry said.
