Ghana’s Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says that Ghana recorded over 120 meningitis cases and 16 deaths.
Briefing the lawmakers in the Parliament on the outbreak on Tuesday, February 18, Mr. Akandoh stated that the Upper West Region remains the hardest hit, with 29 patients currently receiving treatment.
According to the minister, the most affected districts include Wa Municipal, Nadowli, Wa West, Jirapa, and Nandom.
The report by Daily Graphic quoted the minister as saying that meningitis outbreaks are common in Ghana’s northern regions due to the country’s location within the “Meningitis Belt” of Africa, which stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.
The minister added that the disease is most prevalent during the dry and dusty harmattan season, from October to March.
He explained that two main pathogens—Listeria and Streptococcus pneumoniae—are responsible for meningitis outbreaks in Ghana. While vaccines exist for Listeria, they are ineffective against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the strain currently causing the outbreak in the Upper West Region.
On the response by the government, the minister said that a national team of health experts had been deployed to support regional and district health authorities.
He explained that the treatment for affected patients has been made free, and emergency operations centres have been activated to coordinate the response.
“Additional supplies of antibiotics have been secured, and public awareness campaigns are being intensified to educate the public on symptoms and encourage early treatment,” he said.
According to the minister, community leaders have also been engaged to help spread information, while the World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed experts to assist Ghana in managing the outbreak.
GIK/APA