The Upper West Regional Health Directorate has warned the Upper West public to strictly adhere to Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) preventive measures as the increasing heat predisposes them to contracting the disease.
CSM has already claimed four lives, and 18 people have been confirmed to be positive for CSM since the beginning of the warm season in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
According to the Ghana Health Service, CSM is an airborne bacterial disease usually caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. This bacteria mainly causes an infection of the meninges, resulting in meningitis.
Dr. Collins Boateng Danquah, the Deputy Director of Public Health at the Upper West Regional Health Directorate, who said this in an interview with Info Radio in Wa, added that the people should also increase their intake of water.
Others are: sleeping in well-ventilated rooms, avoiding overcrowding, staying indoors to avoid the scorching sun, wearing nose masks when in dusty areas such as market centres or when riding, especially on dusty roads to help avoid contracting the disease.
He said children and elderly people above 60 years old were most vulnerable to the CSM disease because their immune systems were not strong enough making them susceptible to the disease.
He revealed that the Upper West Region has so far recorded a total of 18 confirmed cases with four deaths from January 2024 to February 2024.
Out of that number, Wa Municipality recorded six cases, Wa West District and Nandom Municipality recorded four cases each, Jirapa Municipality recorded three cases, and Nadowli-Kaleo District recorded one case.
He indicated that children and elderly people are the worst affected groups because their immune systems are not strong enough.
“This is just the beginning because we have not gotten to the very hot season or condition that will be coming out in the months of March and April," he explained.
Dr. Danquah said the rate of infection should be a source of concern; hence, people should take the necessary precautionary measures against it.
He also encouraged the public to report to the health facility whenever they experience the symptoms of CSM, which included a high temperature, fever, headache, stiffness of the neck, convulsion, and sometimes vomiting, among others.
He explained that the GHS is doing surveillance for early detection of cases for treatment and that people should report to the health facility when they experience any of the symptoms for their samples to be taken and tested.
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