An outbreak of meningitis has hit Nigeria, killing as many as 282 people in recent weeks according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

It's not the first time Africa's most populous country has been affected by an outbreak. .

More than 2,000 people in Nigeria died from the disease in 2009.

Meningitis is the inflammation of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord which can be caused by viral or bacterial infections.

It spreads mainly through kisses, sneezes, coughs and in close living quarters.

And aid agencies are doing all they can to stop people from catching the disease.

But basic healthcare is limited in rural parts of the country, where most people live on less than $2 a day, despite the country's huge oil resources.

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