The Minister for Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has informed Parliament that four students of Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) Senior High School in the Asokore-Mampong Municipality have died from suspected meningitis outbreak.
In a statement on the cause and prevention of the incident on the floor of the House, he said that out of a total of forty six cases of students affected by suspected meningitis, nineteen have been discharged, twenty three are on admission while four have dead.
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The Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka prayed the Speaker to summon the Minister to brief the Members on the incident. He was in the House to respond to questions in that regard.
He stated that currently no definite laboratory confirmation has been done to establish the cause of the outbreak. He added that the Ministry has requested for technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO). He said blood samples and Cerebro Spinal Fluids have been taken and sent to Noguchi for further examination and report.
The Minister disclosed that a stakeholder meeting between the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service concluded that all suspected cases should be referred to the Kwame University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Hospital. He said this was to facilitate early detection of trends for immediate action.
He intimated that the stakeholders also agreed that the school administration should not close the school nor disperse the students in the midst of the outbreak for effective management of the situation.
He said they further agreed that parents who are willing to take their wards from the KNUST Hospital are to be made to sign an undertaking and provide detail address of where students are being sent to enable follow-up.
The Minister assured that the situation is under control. He added that the government has so far spent GH¢10,000 on the cases.
Source: Ghanajustice/Kyeremanteng
