Doctors arrive in Upper West to examine CSM outbreak

Wa, Feb. 28, GNA - An eight-member team of experts made up of doctors, an epidemiologist, laboratory technologist, logistician and health promotion specialist, have arrived in Upper West to examine the spate of the recent outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis that caused the death of 17 people in the region.

The team of experts, who arrived in the region on Wednesday, came from the rapid response team of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Dr Alexis Nang-beifubah, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency last Thursday concerning the outbreak of the disease, noted that the team had already been sent to the districts and work had begun. He said the epidemiologist would assist in finding out how the disease started, how it developed and what could be done to contain it while the laboratory technician would help in examine all the laboratories at the districts to find out how they could be equipped to be able to contain the disease.

He added that the health promotion specialist would help in designing more appropriate messages to sensitize people on the dangers of the disease including some of the best practices they could adapt to prevent themselves from catching the disease.

The doctors, he noted, would assist in treating the patients while the logistician would be responsible for managing the resources that were being brought in by the World Health Organisation (WHO), MOH and the GHS to control the disease.

Dr Nang-beifubah hinted that currently the situation was stabilizing; adding that the vaccine had been approved by the WHO and would by next week arrive in the region for vaccination to begin. He said the vaccine would only cover people between the ages of two to 30 years, stating that a directive had already been given to the affected districts to start preparations by identifying those who would fall within the age limit given by the WHO. He indicated that the Jirapa District, which had been seriously hit by the disease, would benefit more from the vaccine. 28 Feb. 10