The Chairman of the Northern Development Forum (NDF), Major Albert Don-Chebe (Rtd), has called to the attention of government and major stakeholders in the health sector about the devastating effect of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak in six Districts in the Upper West Region.
In a message issued on behalf of the NDF on April 13, 2020, he said although attention has been shifted towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic due to its nature, government should give equal attention to all health concerns since all Ghanaians have equal rights to good health.
He considered the situation of CSM as a case of emergency and should be tackled with urgent attention alongside the fight against the Coronavirus, noting that ” CSM has claimed the lives of 37 persons in the Upper West Region.”
According to him, CSM is on the rise in the North with a mortality of CFR 15.4%, which is higher than the WHO standard of CFR< 10% and mortality rate of about 0.2% in Ghana and 2.7% globally in excess.
This, said, is classified as not a normal outbreak based on the figures provided and requires more than the ’normal’ attention.
On this note, he appealed to the government to treat the devastating nature of CSM as a matter of urgency based on the fact that it is a seasonal outbreak.
In an attempt to help fight the situation, he proposed that government should provide sufficient Pastorex test kits to facilitate early detection and Make available the necessary logistics for the transportation of samples to the various laboratories, including reference laboratories.
He also suggested that in addition to the two culture centers currently available in Wa and Jirapa, more should be created.
He also recommended to government to organise an all-inclusive communication platforms as well as informational and educational materials to speedily enhance awareness of the dangers of CSM and measures to improve its impact in CSM-prone communities in the North.
Source: Newswatchgh.com //Amos Kwame Kpeli
