KUMACA in crisis as more students collapse

At least two students of the Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) in the Ashanti Region have been rushed to the hospital after they collapsed on campus.
The incident brings to 18 the number of students who are receiving treatment at key health facilities in the Kumasi metropolis.

Nhyira FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah told Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Top Story Tuesday the two students collapsed in front of parents and guardians who had gathered to demand the release of their wards.

The health crisis in KUMACA has generated public outcry after a female student died this morning.
There have been at least a total of 11 deaths since March when the first case was discovered, but the cause has not yet been determined.

An autopsy conducted by a senior pathologist on the bodies could not establish what led to the tragic incidents, Joy News has learnt.

But meningitis has been ruled out as the cause of deaths after series of tests.

Related Article: 2 KUMACA students die ‘mysteriously’, 3 hospitalised
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has revealed blood samples taken from the postmortem have been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute in Accra as well as two other research facilities for further examination.
GHS Director-General, Dr Badu Sarkodie said they will dialogue with parents to leave their wards in the school in order not to endanger public safety.

But Asawase Member of Parliament, Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed has expressed worry residents of Asokore Mampong will be at risk if the situation is not properly handled.

“I am more disappointed because this [first] happened in March…and there are about 400,000 people in the community [but] look at the way they are behaving,” he criticised health officials.
Meanwhile, GHS Influenza Surveillance Unit and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have rolled out emergency measures to stop further deaths.

The two bodies have been distributing anti-biotic to students and have appealed to parents who have withdrawn their wards to return them.