Ghana is battling to contain the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), but another disease that is having a dire consequence on residents of Upper West Region of Ghana is the Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM).
CSM is killing more people than the COVID-19 in the northern parts of the country but there has been little attention from authorities to address the outbreak there.
The Upper West Region has recorded 214 infections and still counting with 33 deaths from this infectious and deadly CMS.
It is in line with this that the former Minister of State in charge of the Private Sector Development, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo is calling on President Akufo-Addo and the health authorities to as a matter of urgency, channel resources to the area for the fight against CSM.
In an open letter to President Akufo-Addo which was copied to 3news.com, the Member of Parliament for Wa Central in the Upper West Region, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo said “I am writing to you today because of the loud silence and lack of expeditious action over the devastating CSM infection in the Upper West Region”.
“I had reason to draw attention of your Government on the floor of Parliament about the effect of the disease in the Region but unhappy with the lack of urgency with which the Ministry of Health is tackling the problem”, he explained.
The MP said “as at the last count the Region recorded 214 infections and still counting with 33 deaths from this infectious deadly disease. Both the rate of infection and resultant deaths are more than the national averages of infections and deaths from COVID-19”.
Dr. Pelpuo who is a former Minister of Youth and Sports said the report of the extent of infection has widely been reported on the website of a local FM station in the Region.
“Painfully, the news about the infection came out as an issue when the Regional Director of Health was reporting on COVID-19 infections in the Upper West Region and mentioned it in passing,” he recalled.
Dr. Rashid Pelpuo said “our nation is at a standstill because of our fear that COVID 19 disease will cause deaths amongst us. With the CSM infections deaths are occurring beyond those caused by COVID 19 but we do not see government acting with an equal amount of exigency and demonstrating same kind of leadership”.
