Cause of KUMACA deaths not yet confirmed – GHS

Despite suggestions from the Health Ministry that the deaths of four students at the Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region were caused by acute respiratory infections, the Ghana Health Service has said that it would be too early to comprehensively state that the cause of those deaths had been determined.

According to the Director of Public Health at GHS, Dr. Badu Sarkodie, despite tests by the Noguchi Memorial Institute indicating that the ailments at the school were caused by Influenza type A, it would be premature to rule out other potential causes as well.

Speaking on the Citi FM Friday, Dr. Badu Sarkodie said that some of the symptoms which had been noticed in the students on admission could indicate the presence of a number of conditions, including Influenza and Meningitis, which had earlier been ruled out.

He added that further tests needed to be carried out on the samples before a definitive cause of death can be determined.

“If somebody should die unfortunately, there are specific changes in the normal anatomy that makes you think that those are the changes that led to the deaths. The bleeding could be Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) which you can also have in the flu and in Meningitis. What are the changes in the body internally which the physical examination may not pick? With the blood samples that were taken to the lab, they should all complement and make the story complete,” he said.

“For now, we have enough information to say that it is the flu that is causing the outbreak. We have one condition in mind but it could be more. As scientists what we say is that let’s study As it happened the other time, we confirmed Meningitis. Now if it happens to be something else or more than one issue, you need to take a detailed assessment.”

Swine flu?

The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu announced on Thursday that, out of 19 samples sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute from Kumasi Academy 12 tested positive for influenza type A.

According to the Minister, reports on further tests were received confirming Influenza type-A H1N1 2009 [Otherwise known as Swine Flu], pandemic strain.

Officials from the Ghana Health Service had previously ruled meningitis out in the recent deaths and noted that a bacterial infection was likely.

The whole student population have been administered with antibiotics as part of a prophylaxis.

Of the 32 cases on admission 27 had signs of fever, headaches, joint and body pains, coughs abnormal chest signs and auscultation.

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