Meningitis in SHSs – Death tolls have continued to rise in schools causing a great sense of fear among parents and their wards. Over five students have died of suspected meningitis in various senior high schools especially in the Eastern and Northern region with over 30 people infected.
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While these rates keep increasing, the government has come up with a solution for this mysterious deaths. The Ghana Health Service in the Eastern region has attributed the spread of meningitis in some Senior High Schools across the country to congestion in those schools.
According to the Head of Disease and Surveillance Unit at the outfit, the crowded nature of classrooms and dormitories at SHSs poses a challenge to students. Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe who spoke Joy FM’s Top Story, said that “If the pathogen is in your throat [and] so far as you are one meter apart the other person can get it,”
It wasn’t just him, the New Juaben Municipal Health Director of the Ghana Health Service who spoke to Starr FM also warned against the congestion that has befallen many SHS in the country.
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Dr. Kaotoo advised that all dormitories should be decongested while schools establish fully operational sick bays in the wake of the meningitis outbreak.
Even without an opinion by a prominent personality, it is an already known fact that the major cause of the congestion in schools is the Free SHS policy.
Speaking on the congestion issue, Dr. Kaitoo said that congestion has health implications, when people are crowded it enhances the spread of diseases.
There have been many confirmed cases of meningitis in SHSs in the country. The latest outbreak came after one student died from meningitis at Damongo Senior High School and another from the Koforidua Secondary Technical.
The spread of meningitis has affected various SHS across the country. There is the case of a student of the Bawku Secondary Technical School in the Upper East region who died of the disease Wednesday afternoon.
According to Starr News, nine other cases have been detected. Speaking to Starr news, he said seven cases out of the figure were recorded at the Bawku Secondary Technical while one was detected at Tempane Senior High School.
These reports come a week after at least four students of Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) died from what has been confirmed as Influenza Type A (H1N1) known as swine flu.
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