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Seven persons die from CSM in Upper East Region

Seven people have died from Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the Upper East Region. Out of 71 suspected cases reported between January and April 2020 in the region, 21 were tested and confirmed positive of Meningitis with seven succumbing to the disease.
The other persons are still receiving treatment. Speaking to Citi News, the Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Winfred Ofosu explained that, though the cases have been sporadic, there are enough antibiotics to treat affected persons who report to the hospital on time.
Dr. Ofosu said, the region was not in an epidemic situation and hence there is no need for vaccination.
Dr. Ofosu admonished residents with meningitis-related symptoms to quickly report to the nearest health facility for urgent care.
The Upper East Region lies within the meningitis-prone belt of Africa and usually predominant between January and May every year. Residents are advised to drink a lot of water, sleep in well-ventilated rooms, avoid overcrowding and observe good personal hygiene.
The Upper West region has also recorded about 40 deaths from the disease out of the about 258 confirmed cases in the region. So far over 400 CSM cases have been recorded in the regions up north.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the region recently attributed the challenges with tackling the disease to the lack of financial resources.
A team of experts were on Thursday, April 16, 2020, dispatched to the region to help fight the increasing numbers of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) there.
The region has already commenced an audit of the CSM deaths to enable the Ghana Health Service to review the treatment protocols.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed that the current outbreak of Meningitis in the Upper West Region is caused by a new strain of bacteria that has no vaccine. It is unclear if the same strain in the Upper West region is what is being experienced in the Upper East region.
The Ghana Health Service has however given assurance that there is an effective treatment upon early reporting and initiation of treatment.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews