At least some forty people have been confirmed dead from over 400 infections of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis in Ghana.
The disease is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
The most common symptoms of the illness are fever, headache, and neck stiffness.
The new cases were all recorded in Ghana’s five regions up north with the Upper East Region alone recording over 250 cases.
In a statement the Ghana Health Service said that although there is no vaccine for the disease, there is available treatment.
“The current outbreak in the Upper West Region is caused by a new strain of bacteria; Neisseria meningitides serotype X which has no vaccine and Streptococcus pneumoniae which has an average case fatality of 40%” the statement said.
The Ghana Health Service said the affected areas have been adequately stocked with appropriate antibiotics for the management of the disease.
Rapid Response Teams have been deployed at the regional and district levels to the various health facilities and communities to undertake case search and support case management.
There are fears that the death toll from communicable diseases will increase as health officials focus on COVID-19.
Some actors in the health sector have accused government of neglecting treatment of other ailments such as CSM.
The Association of People Living with HIV/Aids has also revealed that some of its members were not given the needed attention by health facilities handling COVID-19 cases.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
