CSM patients don’t return to normalcy after recovery – Rashid Pelpuo

Unlike victims of the novel Coronavirus who get fully liberated from the grips of the deadly virus after recovery, persons who get infected with the new strain of Cerebrospinal Meningitis live with the scare of the disease for the rest of their lives, the Member of Parliament for Wa Central had said.

According to Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, “…the danger about the disease also is that once it affects you even if you’re treated, it leaves an incapacitation in you and you can no longer come back to normal. In most instance, you have brain damage and at times, a spinal damage. You can’t be normal any longer, even when you recover. So it a very dangerous disease.”

He said this is as a result of the lack of understanding of the disease on the part of affected persons who in most cases, report infections to health experts in their terminal stages.

While admitting that there have been several health campaigns meant to educate people about the disease, he said the real ideals of such campaigns have not yet reached the people who actually need it.

So far, the Upper West Region has now recorded about 273 cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) with 43 deaths so far.

This has prompted a response from the Deputy Health Minister, Dr Oko-Boye and the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih who have expressed their readiness to eliminate the disease alongside the novel coronavirus.

“Since this disease surfaced, we have informed the Ghana Health Service and they have not slept on it,” Dr Hafiz Bin Salih is quoted to have said.

But Hassan Pelpuo on CitiNews advocated for the use of the COVID-19 Fund in fighting the disease to avert more possible deaths.

He said; “It’s like the people have been left on their own facing the challenge themselves and they’re dying and we’re mobilizing money and we’re not using it…We’ve gotten so much money because of COVID why don’t we just apply some in the regions where deaths are occurring?”

In addressing issues about stigmatization, Mr Pelpuo expressed fear about the possibility of the disease being labelled an ‘Upper West problem’.