Meningitis: Address congestion in schools – GHS director

The New Juaben Municipal Health Director of 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.

So far over five students have died of suspected meningitis in various senior high schools especiually in the Eastern and Northern region with over 30 people infected.

The latest case is a student of the Bawku Secondary Technical School in the Upper East region who died of the disease Wednesday afternoon.

Monitoring the development, nine other cases have been detected.

He said seven cases out of the figure were recorded at the Bawku Secondary Technical while one was detected at Tempane Senior High School.

Dr. Kaitoo in an interview said all dormitories should be decongested while schools establish fully operational sick bays in the wake of the meningitis outbreak.

According to him, the congestion in the schools can be attributed to the free SHS policy.

“Congestion has health implications, when people are crowded it enhances the spread of diseases so we have recommended to head of the secondary schools to try as much as possible to decongest the dormitories.

“I think that this is also as a result of the free education which is good for all of us but it also comes with a lot of challenges.”

Meanwhile, authorities at the Bawku Secondary Technical School are decongesting their dormitories following the death of one student from suspected meningitis.

The latest outbreak comes after one student died from meningitis at Damongo Senior High School and another from the Koforidua Secondary Technical.

Municipal Director of Education in Bawku Azungtaba Joseph says they will have to allow students sleep outside to reduce congestion, which has been identified as a cause of the outbreak.