Tamale, (Northern Region) 8 Oct.,

The Ministry of Health has taken delivery of additional two million vaccines to combat the sporadic cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis (CSM) in the East Mamprusi area of Northern Ghana. Dr Eunice Brookman-Amissah, minister, who announced this at a meeting of district directors of health and district health management teams (DHMTs) at Tamale today, her Ministry ''is strengthening its disease surveillance and control of epidemics programme in the country''. The minister therefore charged health personnel to launch not only mass immunization campaigns but public education and disease diagnosis in order to control epidemics. She recommended that the disease control and immunization exercise be extended to the northern parts of the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions, where there have been sporadic cases of CSM . There is also the need for health personnel to consider offering free CSM treatment and vaccines, when an outbreak reaches its peak, she said. Dr Brookman-Amissah called on health workers to adopt preventive strategies and mobilise essential logistics to check epidemics. Dr Sam Bugri, director of public health, reported that 32 cases of CSM have been reported. Out of the number, eight died of meningitis- related symptoms. ''There are various forms of the CSM disease, and until proper diagnosis is done at a laboratory, the various forms of the disease cannot be differentiated''. Dr Bugri said since the ministry could not achieve 100 per cent immunization coverage last year, children and women would be given preference in this year's immunization exercise. Dr Sylvester Anemana, Northern regional director of health services, said the meeting has prepared health workers to adequately improve upon their health delivery methods. Those present at the meeting were Dr Asamoah Baah, director of medical services, and Mr Kofi Portuphy, chairman of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).