At least 40 people have been killed by a new strain of meningitis in the five Northern regions out of the 409 total infections up-north.
The Upper West region alone has seen a total of 258. The region started reporting sporadic cases in February 2020 and has seen a spike in cases in recent times, especially the past two weeks.
The GHS in a release said the latest outbreak of meningitis is caused by a new strain of bacteria; Neisseria meningitis serotype X which has no vaccine and streptococcus pneumoniae which has an average case fatality of 40 percent.
Meanwhile, the high rate of fatality is due to late reporting by infected persons in the regions, but the GHS advised that even though there is no vaccine for the new strain of meningitis, effective treatment is available urging locals to report early which would significantly improve survival rate.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
It can be caused by a variety of organisms that include bacteria among others.
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