Credit: Kekeli K. Blamey
Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has announced that the Meningitis outbreak in the Upper West Region is under control.
During his visit to the region, Mr Akandoh revealed that no deaths have been recorded in the past week, and the number of deaths is drastically reducing.
According to Akandoh, the region has reported 94 suspected cases, 20 confirmed cases, and 14 deaths, with the Nadowl-Kaleo District and Nandom Municipality being the epicenters of the disease.
To combat the outbreak, the government has deployed a rapid response team to support the health systems and provide staff training on disease management.
Mr Akandoh emphasized the importance of community involvement in controlling the outbreak, urging community members to report to health facilities early if they develop Meningitis symptoms.
The government has also announced free treatment for people in affected districts with active health insurance cards and showing symptoms.
As part of the government’s efforts to combat the outbreak, Mr Akandoh presented boxes of antibiotics to the Nadowli-Kaleo Health Directorate for Meningitis treatment and management.
He also interacted with health staff, acknowledging their sacrificial services and appealing to them to give their all to the fight against Meningitis.
The Minister cautioned health staff against negative attitudes towards patients, urging those culpable to desist from such behavior to avoid punishment. The team also visited the Queen of Peace Senior High School in Nadowli to discuss disease prevention and control measures with the school management.
