The Deputy Upper West Regional Director of Public Health, Dr. Collins Boateng Danquah, who confirmed the incident, said the deaths occurred between January to February 2024.
According to him, the Upper West Region has recorded a total of 18 suspected cases and out of which 11 cases came out positive.
He indicated that the 81 suspected cases were recorded from nine municipal/districts in the region.
Dr. Danquah, however, indicated that the Upper West has not reached an outbreak situation.
He assured that the region has been provided with all the logistics and machines they need to run the various tests as well as medication and urged the public to visit the hospital anytime they experience headache, fever or health challenges.
He disclosed that the region is focusing on sensitization at markets, gatherings and various outdoor places to educate the public on preventive measures.
A statement signed by the Director-General of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, urged the public to “limit outdoor activities especially for children and the elderly, wear face masks to reduce exposure to the dust, stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water throughout the day and people living with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma should continue to take their prescribed medications.”
“It must be noted that treatment is available for all these conditions including Meningitis and therefore persons with fever and neck stiffness should report immediately to the nearest health facility,” he said.
Source: dailyguidenetwork.com
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Sad to hear this , meningitis has become an annual ritual in the upper west region by cutting the lives of people short. My observation as a past student of the then University for development studies, WA campus during the Third Trimister Field Practical Programme (TTFPP) is that, the houses of most residents in rural areas are constructed such that enough air does not get into the rooms . The windows in most rooms are very very small . When you ask the people why they don't go in for bigger and wider Windows , they tell you it is a security measure to prevent an enemy from seeing where your bed is placed in your room as they can shoot an arrow or gun towards the direction of your bed. Around this time of the year i.e. February - April, temperatures are very high sometimes more than 40 degrees and the people still prefer to sleep in their rooms with less or no ventilation. I think the public health division should equally let the people know that their dwellings are also a contributory factor to the surge in meningitis cases. They should be encouraged to sleep in the open yard at night to get some fresh air. Some of these deaths are avoidable.