Meningitis outbreak: Parliament’s Health C’ttee urges Gov’t to seek assistance from WHO

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health Joseph Yieleh Chireh has called on government to seek assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) in handling the outbreak of Pneumococcal Meningitis in the country.

According to him, there is the urgent need for Ghana to seek help from the WHO “because we have never had a great outbreak in the past and handled it before.”

He said the committee is concerned that government doubles up its effort than it is currently doing.

A total of 32 people have been confirmed dead out of the 142 reported cases since the beginning of the outbreak of the disease in the Northern and Brong Ahafo Regions.

The disease occurs when bacteria known as the meninges invades the bloodstream and infect the membranes protecting the brain and the spinal cord.

The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord.

The Brong Ahafo region is the worst affected with 6 of its districts recording increasing cases.

The first reported death emerged from the Tain district in the in December but spread to Wenchi, Techiman, Bruohan, Kintampo, and Sene.

A fresh outbreak of the disease in the Bole in the Northern region also claimed five lives.

Six more people in the Techiman district of the Brong Ahafo region died of the deadly disease last week.

The latest deaths of two people were recorded in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti region, Saturday, January 23.

Government says it is in control despite the continuing spread of the disease.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Victor Bampoe says government is taking the full cost of treatment for people battling with the disease.

But Mr. Yileh-Chireh says government must step up public education on the disease.

“By now Ghanaians should all be aware…if from the Brong Ahafo Region, it moved to the Northern region and now the Ashanti region, there must be something that is alarming about it. It is in one corner and many more people are not aware of it,” Yileh-Chireh said.

He suggested that the Ministry forms a task force to help in public education and also check how the persons who have died from the disease are being handled by their family members.

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