The Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has given the assurance that health authorities in the country are working assiduously to determine the cause of the recent outbreak at the Kumasi Academy which has caused the death of some 10 students since the beginning of the year.

According to him, initial findings of the tests conducted on blood samples and cerebral spinal fluid taken by health authorities are negative of viral haemorrhagic fever and also, the initial autopsy of the dead was inconclusive.

“Currently no definite laboratory confirmation has been done as to the cause of the outbreak,” he told parliament Wednesday.

That notwithstanding, he said, government is keen on unearthing the root cause of the outbreak thus further samples had been taken and sent to the Nogouchi laboratory for further examination.

Also, he said, surveillance at the school has been intensified with record review of the Out Patient Department (OPD) register at the school.

He said follow up visits on cases at the KNUST and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals are being carried out by the team handling the development with a list developed for suspected cases.

He said close to about GHC100, 000 has been released for the initial public health interventions.

Three deaths recorded

Six students were reported dead from the outbreak suspected to be meningitis in the school since last week Friday.

This brings to 13, the total number of students who have died from the killer disease since April this year.

The deaths stirred pandemonium at the school Tuesday with parents running helter-skelter with the aim of whisking their wards home.

The withdrawn students have since returned after a passionate plea to the parents by the Ashanti regional Minister Simon Osei Mensah.

Touching on the number of deaths recorded since the outbreak Mr. Agyemang-Manu appeared to contradict the six reported widely in the media.

He told the peoples’ representative chamber that during his briefing that three deaths were recorded thus far – two at KNUST hospital and one at the Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital.

He added that twenty-three students are still on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital, KNUST, Kumasi South and Manhyia hospitals while nineteen have been treated and discharged.