The Upper West Region has recorded 161 cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) with one death from January to July 2021.

Out of this, Nandom Municipality recorded the highest number of 68 cases followed by the Wa Municipality with 34 cases; Nadowli District has 19 cases, Lambussie District has 15 cases, Lawra has 13 cases, and Sissala East Municipality has one case.

Mr John Viannie Maakpe, the Upper West Regional Health Promotion Officer, in an interview with the GNA, attributed the low mortality rate to continued education, early reporting and availability of drugs.

He urged the public to report early to health facilities and endeavour to drink more water and sleep in well-ventilated places to avoid contracting the disease.

He emphasized the need to have a laboratory established in the region for easy testing of cases and treatment.

Last year, 2020, the region recorded a total of 421 cases of infectious disease with 56 people dying, which is a sharp increase from the 354 cases and 16 deaths recorded in 2019.

For 2017 and 2018, total cases recorded increased slightly from 425 to 428 while the number of deaths decreased from 54 to 37 respectively.