The vaccines meant to prevent the spread of H1N1 infection following the Kumasi Academy outbreak, were expected to arrive in the country over the weekend but delayed.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jd6b8htaE1RbjAtjy2Y20xpR3RrYsHS7″]Speaking to Citi News, Public Relations Officer of the Health Ministry, Robert Cudjoe, said a meeting will be held later today [Thursday], to determine distribution arrangements of the vaccines.

“The vaccines are in. They got here around 7:50pm. We will have a meeting tomorrow [Friday], especially in Kumasi Academy where the outbreak occurred”

Apart from the vaccines, the country was also expected to take delivery of the anti-viral agents Tamiflu from the World Health Organization, as part of measures to combat the threat of the disease.

The drug, Tamiflu, was given to tens of thousands of people during the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

The disease has been detected in at least a dozen students of Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region, where four students are suspected to have died from it.

The school’s students and staff were administered some other antiviral agents, and the school was also fumigated, following the detection of the swine flu.

Apart from the suspected outbreak of swine flu at Kumasi Academy, a death from meningitis was recorded at the Koforidua Secondary Technical School in the Eastern Region.

Other meningitis deaths were recorded at the Damango Senior High School in the Northern Region and the Bawku Secondary Technical, Tempane SHS, and Zuarungu, all in the Upper East Region.

Response action

The Ministry in the statement also outlined measures it had taken to prevent a further spread of the disease .

These measures are listed below :

1. Alert has been sent to all health facilities for heightened awareness, early case detection and improved case management.

2. Enhanced surveillance in all the schools and communities.

3. Public education is ongoing.

4. Contact tracing initiated and ongoing.

5. National Technical Coordinating Committee (NTCC), Regional and District Public Health Emergency Management Committees activated.

6. Vaccines and more antivirals for H1N1 arranged for.

7. Initiated process to enhance School Health

8. Designating a hospital to each second cycle institution.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Swine Flu vaccines arrive, distribution begins today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This is according to the Head of Surveillance at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Asiedu Bekoe.

[contextly_sidebar id=”i9PM5C4O2zXbKUf7dgsUWEZlGnu3VM6D”]The vaccines were expected to arrive in the country over the weekend but delayed.

Confirming the latest development to Citi News, Dr. Bekoe said: “As far as we are concerned, it is suppose to come today [Wednesday], so hopefully they will get it as early as possible. WHO and the Ministry are going to get it cleared, so we give it to the students as early as possible. “

The H1N1 flu has been detected in at least a dozen students of Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region, where four students are suspected to have died from it.

The school’s students and staff were administered some other antiviral agents, and the school was also fumigated, following the detection of the swine flu.

Apart from the suspected outbreak of swine flu at Kumasi Academy, a death from meningitis was recorded at the Koforidua Secondary Technical School in the Eastern Region.

Other meningitis deaths were recorded at the Damango Senior High School in the Northern Region and the Bawku Secondary Technical, Zuarungu SHS, and the Tempane SHS both in the Upper East Region.

Response action

The Health Ministry in a statement released a few days ago outlined measures it had taken to prevent a further spread of the disease .

These measures are listed below :
1. Alert has been sent to all health facilities for heightened awareness, early case detection and improved case management.
2. Enhanced surveillance in all the schools and communities.
3. Public education is ongoing.
4. Contact tracing initiated and ongoing.
5. National Technical Coordinating Committee (NTCC), Regional and District Public Health Emergency Management Committees activated.
6. Vaccines and more antivirals for H1N1 arranged for.
7. Initiated process to enhance School Health
8. Designating a hospital to each second cycle institution.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Swine flu vaccines to arrive today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Director of Disease Control and Surveillance at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Franklin Asiedu Bekoe had earlier made similar indications to Citi News about the procurement of vaccines for the school.

[contextly_sidebar id=”eBhohiQXM3JCLKB0qOnpLpI6zRECcJee”]Addressing Parliament on Friday, the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said, “as I speak, indications that we are getting from WHO is such that vaccines that can combat the strain that we have are available and we are making arrangements to see how best we can bring some of them into the country for further activities.”

On Thursday, the Ministry announced that samples from Kumasi Academy students sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute tested positive for the pandemic strain of influenza type A, H1N1 2009 also known as Swine Flu.

The samples were sent after it became clear there was a health crisis in the school following the death of four students in the last week.

An outbreak of an acute respiratory infection has also been confirmed in the school.

Health officials making headway

Mr. Agyemang-Manu described the developments as “good news” because the health officials now have a concrete lead to work on in their efforts to overcome the illness.

“Earlier, we were overwhelmed and it is like we were on an unknown island and we didn’t even know what to do. So now that this has been confirmed, at least we know the disease is curable. It can, therefore, be diagnosed and treated,” he stated.

Vaccination is said to be the most effective way of preventing the disease, even when circulating viruses may not exactly match the vaccine viruses.

It should be noted that the outright cause of death of the four students of the school and the hospitalization of 32 has not yet been fully confirmed.

NUGS donates sanitizers 

Meanwhile, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has also donated some hand sanitizers to the school.

The National President of the Union, Oheneba Elisha Essuman, also said his outfit will send a proposal to the Health Ministry to ensure that Kumasi Academy is furnished with a well-resourced clinic.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa.citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gov’t working with WHO to provide vaccines for KUMACA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.