Upper West Region: 30 More Meningitis Cases Recorded; One More Dies

Additional 30 persons have contracted meningitis in the Upper West Region within the past two weeks, bringing the total number of cases in that region to 303.

One more person has also died of the disease, increasing the number of fatalities to 44.

This was contained in a press release issued today, Tuesday and signed by the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih.

According to the release, the Nandom and Jirapa municipalities, as well as the Nadowli-Kaleo districts continue to record a majority of the cases.

The Ghana Health Service deployed a team of experts to help bring the disease under control.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye who visited the region last week to assess the situation reported to Parliament that the pandemic was under control.

But the statement said, “laboratory investigations indicate an increase in the number of cases with the majority of them being caused by Neisseria Meningitides Sero Group X which currently has no vaccine”.

The statement, however, stated that “with an increased risk communication, individuals now report to health facilities for treatment, which has witnessed a significant reduction in the case fatality associated with the disease.”

On what the region is doing to curtail the endemic, the Minister said the Rapid Response Teams (RRT) at both regional and district levels have intensified monitoring and investigations on all suspected cases and rumours as they are reported.

The release urged the general public to drink more water, sleep in well-ventilated areas, cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing and report to the nearest health facilities when experiencing symptoms such as high temperature, fever, stiff neck, as well as headache.