As the dry weather conditions set in starting in January, residents of the northern regions of the country continue to be at risk of experiencing seasonal outbreaks of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM).

The Ghana Health Service (GHS), according to Dr. Franklyn Asiedu-Bekoe, Director of Public Health, is on high alert for any potential illness outbreak in the nation.

"As the nation continues to be vulnerable to seasonal cerebrospinal meningitis outbreaks from this month, the general public is encouraged to drink plenty of water and maintain adequate body moisture in this dry weather condition," he said.

Meningitis, a serious infection of the membranes enclosing the brain and spinal cord, is a major global public health concern that typically strikes in prone locations during the dry seasons.

Up to 10% of confirmed cases of cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) in Ghana result in death each year, making it a persistent public health concern.

Residents in the northern regions of the nation are more vulnerable to meningitis because they are located within the meningitis belt. Health officials are also keeping an eye out.



Therefore, several regions of Ghana are located inside the belt. Meningitis is therefore more likely to occur when there is extreme dryness followed by high temperatures. Thus, we are keeping an eye on everything. We are keeping an eye on what we refer to as the weekly charts. We have not yet exceeded any threshold in any of these areas, and we continue to keep an eye on what I believe to be good—typically January, February, and March. However, we continue to keep an eye on it," Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe clarified.


He urged everyone to exercise caution, pointing out that the most vulnerable populations are youngsters and the elderly, who have weakened immune systems.

"Just make sure you're applying a lot of cream and drinking a lot of water." After that, we're putting a lot of moisturizers on your skin to keep it from getting dry," he continued.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that immunization is still the most effective method of preventing meningitis, which kills 135,000 people annually and affects about 1.2 million people worldwide.