We remain on high alert for CSM cases in northern Ghana – GHS

Residents of the northern parts of the country remain prone to experiencing the seasonal Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreaks as the dry weather condition sets in from January.

Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Franklyn Asiedu-Bekoe says the service is on high alert for any possible outbreak of the disease in the country.

“The general public is encouraged to take in a lot of water and maintain proper body moisture in this dry weather condition as the country remains prone to experiencing the seasonal cerebrospinal meningitis outbreaks from this month,” he said.

Meningitis, a severe infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, poses a significant public health challenge globally that usually occurs during the dry seasons in prone areas.

Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) remains a public health burden in Ghana that causes up to 10% mortality in confirmed cases annually.

The northern parts of the country fall within the meningitis belt, placing residents at high risk of contracting the infection. And health officials are on the alert.

‘‘So, there are parts of Ghana that lie within the belt. So, when you have very dry weather, and then you have high temperatures, you are prone to get meningitis. So, we are monitoring. We have what we call the weekly charts that we are monitoring. So far, we have not crossed any threshold in any of these regions, and we are still monitoring what I think is good- normally January, February, and March. But we are still monitoring it,” Dr Asiedu-Bekoe explained.

He noted that children and the elderly, with weaker immune systems, are the most affected groups and encouraged all to stay safe.

“Just make sure that you’re drinking a lot of water, make sure that you’re applying a lot of cream. And then we’re applying a lot of moisturizers on your skin to prevent dryness on the skin,” he added.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), meningitis affects approximately 1.2 million people worldwide each year, resulting in 135,000 deaths and vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent meningitis.

The post We remain on high alert for CSM cases in northern Ghana – GHS first appeared on 3News.

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