Meningitis fight: More efforts needed

Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, has called for greater public education to help curb the spread of the Pneumococcal Meningitis outbreak in parts of the country.

The disease has killed at least 32 people nationwide.

Key health personnel responsible for diagnosing the disease have said there is no need to panic, as they have the situation under control.

Government has released GHS150,000 to the three regions affected by the disease.

According to the Health Ministry, they are orienting health officials, embarking on public education, and making vaccines readily available for uninfected persons, in response to the disease. In addition, the Ministry has stocks of drugs to give to patients.

However, Mr Yieleh Chireh believes enough public sensitisation is not being done on the disease.

Speaking to Class News, he said: “We all had the idea that this was a thing that could be contained within few weeks and that this was going to be limited to the district in which it was first discovered, but it has now spread to other places, many more people have caught the disease.

“How on earth can you then say that the work they [health officials] are doing is enough. I think there ought to be a task force and enough education to the public.

“In the case of the CSM, which we have regularly had to deal with in the northern sector, a lot of resources are put out there to be able to fight it, so, it is not a small matter for us to be thinking that the effort is enough. I think the effort should be more than what we have now.”

By=Classfm