The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has asked Ghanaians not to be alarmed by the high number of recorded suspected cases of meningitis in the country, particularly in the Upper West Region.

He said it was better for the people to report early to the hospital to be tested than stay home and report late and add up to the fatalities.

Although 94 suspected cases have been reported so far in the Upper West Region, he said only 20 had been confirmed, including 14 deaths.

He said the health workers were on top of issues and urged people who experienced any symptoms to report to the nearest health facility for treatment.

Directives

Mr Akandoh, who was on a working visit to the Upper West Region to assess the situation on the ground, said the President had directed that people with symptoms of meningitis be treated free of charge.

He was accompanied by the acting Director of Ghana Health Services, Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea.

He said one of the contributory factors to the high mortality rate was the financial constraint preventing people from seeking medical attention.

The directive, he said, was to ensure that people did not stay home and report late to the health facilities.

As part of the interventions to stem the spread of the disease, he said the government had deployed the Rapid Response Team from Accra to assist the regional health staff in dealing with the issue.

Additionally, he said the government had supplied the Regional Health Directorate with enough antibiotics for the treatment of the cases.

The Health Minister appealed to the media to use their medium to educate the public to report early to the health facilities for treatment.

He also asked the public to avoid crowded areas always, wear nose masks, and avoid getting close to those who were sneezing or coughing.

Brief

Briefing the minister, the Upper West Regional Director of Health, Dr Damien Punguyire, said the region usually experienced a surge in meningitis cases during the dry season due to the hot and windy nature of the weather.

He said February and March were usually the time the region saw a rise in the cases.

However, he said the cases started earlier this year, making it seem there was an outbreak.

Dr Punguyire blamed the death toll on people reporting late to health facilities.