Health Minister Alex Segbefia has assured the country that the meningitis disease outbreak has not reached an epidemic stage yet, despite concerns by Ghanaians and the deaths recorded so far.

As at February 3 there were 456 suspected cases, with total 85 deaths recorded in all regions but Central, according to the Minister.

The country is battling an increasing number of meningitis cases in some districts, particularly in the Brong-Ahafo Region, which has assumed the alarming dimensions.

However, Mr. Segbefia told Parliament: “It must be stated that currently none of the 216 districts has an epidemic of meningitis”.

According the Health Minister, an epidemic of meningitis is said to occur under two scenarios based on the number of cases reported in a week for a specified population.

“For population of less than 30,000 persons, an epidemic is said to have occurred when there are five or more cases per week. For populations of 30,000-100,000 which might be a typical district, an epidemic is said to have occurred when 10 or more cases are reported in a week”.

He explained that certain districts reached the epidemic threshold, but “following the introduction of the multiple interventions, no district in Ghana is at the epidemic stage. We can define what is happening now as an outbreak, which is an occurrence of disease in excess of the normal or expected”.

Tain district was the first to record a high incidence of meningitis during the latter part of 2015. The causative agent was subsequently confirmed to be Streptococcus pneumoniae, otherwise known as Strep pneumo or Pneumococcus.

The minister also added that although there have been events in the northern parts of Ghana, it is not the common bacteria (meningococcus) that has been known to cause meningitis outbreaks in the country.

He also says, with strep pneumoniae (pneumococcal) meningitis, fatality (or death rate is high but potential for massive spread is low.

On the measures being put in place, the minister pointed out that the country is not being complacent, given that a number of activities in the areas of surveillance, case management, laboratory testing, coordination, advocacy and social mobilisation are on-going across the country.

Already, the minister alongside the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative has visited the Brong Ahafo and Northern Regions to assess the situation; and provided more funds as well as 7,500 vials of antibiotics to health workers.

Additionally, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research is leading the effort to determine the exact serotype of bacteria causing the disease. They are being supported by the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, CDC of the US, and Medical Research Council of Gambia.

Ghana experienced widespread Cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) epidemics with high morbidity and mortality in 1984/85, 1996/97 and 2000, mainly in the three regions in the north which lie within the ‘Meningitis belt’ of Africa, Mr. Segbefia noted.