Pneumococcal Meningitis kills 2 in Ashanti Region

Two people have died from Pneumococcal Meningitis in the Offinso Municipality in the Ashanti Region, weeks after it was first reported in the Brong Ahafo Region, according to the Ministry of Health

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Victor Bampoe, told Accra-based Citi FM that the Ministry was investigating to determine whether the deaths are related to the outbreak in the Brong Ahafo Region.

“There were four cases in Offinso and two have died, ” he said, adding that “all the districts have been put on alert and they are trying to make sure if it is part of the outbreak, then they are going into the communities to find more cases.”

Over 30 deaths have so far been recorded since the beginning of the outbreak in the Northern and Brong Ahafo Regions.

Meningitis, which has already caused about 30 deaths since the outbreak, is caused by the inflammation of the productive membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord known.

The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord.