Story highlights The Nigeria Center for Disease Control says nearly 500 people have died in a meningitis outbreak

Nigeria records some of the highest incidences of the disease in Africa

A vaccination campaign is underway

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) A meningitis outbreak has killed 489 people in Nigeria this year, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The country's Center for Disease Control reported 4,637 suspected cases.

Meningitis is a serious infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, which can cause brain damage. "Stereotype C," a new strain of meningococcal meningitis, emerged in Nigeria in 2013.

Untreated, meningococcal meningitis, the bacterial form of the disease, is fatal in 50% of cases.

The WHO also said that a vaccination campaign organized by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision is underway in Nigeria.

The coordinating group -- which is managed by the WHO, Médecins sans Frontières, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the United Nations Children's Fund -- is tasked with provision of emergency vaccine supplies during outbreak emergencies.

Read More