Scholars Bulletin (SB)
Volume-12 | Issue-06 | 88-98
Subject Category: Public Health
Epidemiological Study of Diurnal Temperature and Humidity Variability and the Resurgence of Meningococcal Meningitis in Three Contrasting Ecological Zones of Kaduna State, Nigeria
Abdu Bello Gololo, Abdulganiyu Galadima Mohammed, Abdulkadir Afeez Kayode, Naziru Abdulkabir, Maryam Abdulazeez Abba, Abdul Aderoju Sabtiya
Published : July 8, 2026
Abstract
Meningitis remains a public health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Meningococcal meningitis is a contagious disease causing more number of deaths particularly in Sub-Saharan African region. Climate change remains the major threat to public health worldwide. This study aims at evaluating the association between the incidence of meningococcal meningitis and the diurnal temperature and humidity variability in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A longitudinal spatiotemporal epidemiological design was adopted in this study. The population of this study includes households located within the ecological zones and residents of the study area. A total of 213 participants were selected using multistage sampling technique. The data were collected using structured questionnaires and observation checklists. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using SPSS. The association between the incidence of meningococcal meningitis and the diurnal temperature variability and humidity was examined by correlation analysis. The results showed that most of the respondents (24.88 %) were aged between 30 and 34. The percentage of male and female respondents was 33.80 % and 66.20 %, respectively. It was observed that almost all the respondents (96.24 %) attended tertiary education. Most of the participants (63.85 %) in this study were living in urban areas. During dry season, more than half (53.05 %) of the respondents experienced high temperatures in their areas. Majority of the respondents (88.73 %) indicated that heat increased during certain months in their areas. According to more than half of the respondents (53.99 %) the humidity level in their areas is low. The occurrence and incidence of meningococcal meningitis was significantly associated with increase diurnal temperature and low humidity in the study area.