Niger-Nigeria: Meningitis spread prompts donor emergency response

The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) has approved US$6.2 million to fight meningitis in Niger and Nigeria - the two most heavily affected countries in West Africa with at least 28&ndsp;000 suspected cases so far in 2009, according to ECHO. The emergency funding was approved after ECHO's $2.5 million for infectious disease control in the region in 2009 ran out.