Community Where CSM Is More Feared Than Coronavirus

It might be right to say that the nightmare of the world currently is coronavirus following the devastation in lives and economies that it is decimating.

Yet, in this particular community, the impact of COVID-19 as the virus is also known does not come near the morbid fear associated with other strains of ailments.

It is Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) that is the real nightmare in the Upper West Region of Ghana.

There, the devastation is such that the a member of the Parliament (MP), Alban Bagbin has reported it killing the people more and as such a greater cause of concern.

Bagbin represents the Nadwoli Kaleo constituency in the Upper West Region, and is urging the Ministry of Health to give some attention to the growing number of cases in the country.

In fact, his analogy is that Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) epidemic has killed more constituents in his area than coronavirus has done in the entire country.

The parliamentarian told Ghanaweb that 33 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.

“We are not only having COVID-19. We are also having the CSM epidemic and it has slowly killed more of my constituents than what COVID-19 has done for the whole country.

“So we are under serious attack by invisible enemies. Usually, on a daily basis, I ask from the director of health services in the district and he says that CSM has different traits discovered from the lab in Tamale and not just one. We don’t have a lab in the whole region to work on the samples so usually, we send it to Tamale”, Bagbin added.

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.

Some residents in the region are also calling on government to immediately release vaccines for Cerebrospinal Meningitis while they call on other stakeholders to come their aid.

Upper West Region Disease Control Officer, Justina Zoyah-Diedong, said the deceased were aged 11 and above.

According to Mrs Zoyah-Diedong, the cases could increase due to the dry condition which causes the spread of the disease. She adds that can prevail until it starts raining somewhere next month.