Guinea meningitis outbreak kills at least 40

CONAKRY: An outbreak of meningitis in Guinea has killed at least 40 people since the start of the year, the health ministry said Thursday.

A total of 379 cases have been detected this year in 19 of the West African nation's 33 regions, including the capital Conakry, said a report from the ministry.

Guinea lies in the so-called "meningitis belt" -- an area which covers 25 sub-Saharan African nations where the incidence of the potentially fatal inflammatory disease is particularly high.