Health authorities in the Northern region have confirmed the death of a female student of the Damongo Senior High School.

At least nine other students, made up of eight girls and one boy, are currently on admission at the West Gonja Hospital.

According to the Joy News’ Martina Bugri, the deceased Nangtongma Failatu had reported to the school sick bay on Friday and Sunday and was given some medication.

Her condition got worse on Monday and she died Tuesday morning.

Although her family had wanted to bury her in line with Islamic customs, they have been told to wait after an autopsy is done to ascertain the cause of death.

The students are said to be in a state of hysteria following reports of meningitis and swine flu which have claimed some lives in other schools across the country.

Last week test results from the Noguchi Memorial Centre for Medical Research ruled out meningitis as the cause of multiple deaths at the Kumasi Academy but confirmed Swine Flu as cause of deaths.

Students have begun receiving Azithromycin antibiotics against possible infection.

Last Friday, over 20 students of the Koforidua Secondary Technical School in the Eastern region have been put under strict monitoring by health authorities after one person died there.

Health authorities have confirmed the cause of death to be meningitis.

However, in the newly reported case in Damongo, health officials are tightlipped on the matter and won’t give any further details on the cause of death.

Some health officials told Joy News they suspect it is meningitis but they want to be certain before they can publicly speak to the issue. 

“They have done a test at the Damongo Health Center but the Tamale Regional health directorate says it wants to conduct its own test and if possible send samples to Noguchi to get a definite answer,” the reporter said.

District Chief Executive of the area, Saeed Muhaza Jibril told Joy News those on admission have been administered with antibiotics to bring the situation under control.

Mr Muhaza said health authorities “have not come out specifically with what is the issue because all of them [students] are giving different symptoms.”