Prioritize meningitis like you do with coronavirus - ATAG to Akufo-Addo

The Association for Transparent and Accountable Governance (ATAG) has called on President Akufo-Addo to, as a matter of urgency, speed up interventions to address the cases of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in the Upper East Region to prevent more deaths.

According to the group, the failure of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to speak on the issues during the nation’s address on April 9, 2020 came as a shock as the epidemic is taking more lives in the region than novel Coronavirus.

They are, therefore, calling on Akufo-Addo to respond timeously to the plague to avoid more deaths.

A number of 37 people have been reported dead after suffering meningitis related symptoms in Ghana’s Upper West Region.

The Nadowli District recorded 74 cases with 12 deaths while the Nandom Municipality also has 76 cases with 10 fatalities.

The Jirapa Municipality follows with 42 cases, out of which nine people died.

In the last two weeks, the total number of persons infected with Cerebrospinal Meningitis in the Upper West Region has increased from 214 to 247.

Reacting to this development in a press statement copied to GhanaWeb, the group said “Unfortunately, it is like learning has not taken place from the recent experiences we have had as a nation from the COVID-19 outbreaks in the country which we still struggling to control. So, ATAG does not wish Mr. President you may want to repeat the same mistakes; where the meningitis outbreaks in the Upper West Region will escalate before you come in with another belated coordinated response as happened in the COVID-19 outbreaks? Mr. President, is the over 37 deaths caused by meningitis, not enough for you to address the nation if for nothing at all but to reassure the populace of the region that you indeed care for them?”

The statement further read, “Mr. President, most Ghanaians were shocked to the marrow, especially the sons and daughters of the region when you addressed the nation on Thursday, April 9, 2020, to announce further COVID-19 mitigation packages for health workers in particular and Ghanaians as a whole, without a word on the devastating effects of the Meningitis outbreaks in the Upper West Region.”

below is the full statement