Bolgatanga, March 3, GNA - The Minister for Health, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor, has toured

the Upper East Region following the recent outbreak of the new W135 type of Cerebro-

Spinal Meninigitis (CSM) in the Upper West and Northern Regions. The trip was to enable his Ministry to adopt modalities to prevent the disease from

spreading to the Upper East Region, which has the lowest number of recorded cases in the

three northern regions so far. Dr. Kunbuor visited the Bongo District Hospital where 11 cases of the disease were

reported. Out of this, four were confirmed to be the W135 type. At Navrongo, the Minister visited the War Memorial Hospital where about 21 cases,

with one W135 type case, had been recorded. The Health Minister later visited the Navrongo Health Research Center, where he

commended the staff for the support the Centre gives to hospitals in the field of research,

and said government had plans to upgrade the center to the status of an institution. M Addressing a press conference later at the Residency, Dr. Kunbuor said government was

fast advancing plans as to how to curb the CSM pandemic, adding that the Ministry of

Health (MOH) had taken delivery of vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO)

to help prevent the spread of the disease in the three Northern regions. He gave the assurance that the MOH and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) were doing

all they could to bring the situation under control, and said government is to construct 62

hospitals nationwide, out of which 42 had already been completed. Mr Kumbuor presented two buses worth 130,000 Ghana Cedis and 20 computers valued

at 30,000 Ghana Cedis to the Midwifery Training School and the Nursing Training College

both in Bolgatanga. He charged the authorities of the two institutions to make good use of the items and

called on the students to take proper care of them to ensure their longevity. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, asked the media to play a pivotal

role in the education of the public on the CSM pandemic, and charged the electronic media,

especially Radio stations in the region, to educate the public on the mode of spread and

symptoms of the disease.

The Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. John Koku Awoonor-Williams, noted that

the CSM disease remains a major public health challenge in the region as the area falls

within the meningitis belt. He said although epidemics in the belt are associated with Neisseiria meningitides

belonging to the sero-group A, the occurrence of meningitis outbreaks associated with the

sero-group W135 in neighbouring Burkina Faso also called for concern. Dr. Awoonor-Williams said analysis indicated that 94 cases were recorded as at

February 28 this year, out of which five deaths were recorded for that month alone, adding

that total deaths as at 28 February 2010 was 13. The Regional Director of Health disclosed that the Region had been allocated 100,000

doses of CSM vaccine mid-January 2010 for reactive vaccination, and that the vaccines had

been distributed to the high risk areas including Fumbisi, Kanjarga and Sendema that

recorded the type 'A' strain. Other areas that received the vaccines were Kayoro, Paga, Nakolo, Sirigu, Bongo Soe,

Namoo, Tilli and the Navrongo prisons, he added. 03 March 10