Meningitis outbreak in the Upper West region of Ghana
Ghana Health Services (GHS) reported an outbreak of bacterial meningitis with29 total cases (9 confirmed and 20 suspected), including 10 deaths (CFR 34.5%) from six of eleven districts in the Upper West Region on January 31.
Of the nine confirmed cases, eight cases identified as Streptococcus pneumoniae by PCR, while one case had both S. pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis.
Last year, the Upper West region of Ghana saw 18 bacterial meningitis cases and four deaths.
Last week, a nationwide effort to combat meningitis is underway in the Upper West Region, with specialized training sessions being conducted for healthcare workers. The National Response Team from Accra, made up of experts in case management, health promotion, laboratory services, and surveillance, is leading these critical sessions to empower frontline staff.
In addition, essential medicines for meningitis treatment were handed over to the Regional Health Directorate to support case management.
Today, the government's effort at curbing the raging Meningitis outbreak in the Upper West region saw a major boost with a donation of 10,000 vials of antibiotics from the WHO at the conference room of the MOH in Accra.
In a handing over speech, country representative of the WHO, Dr. Frank Lule, indicated that the medicines would play an essential role in the fight against meningitis and appealed to persons living in the affected areas to seek early treatment, noting that WHO would provide more medicines if the need arose.
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