KUMACA MYSTERY DEATHS-MENINGITIS RESPONSIBLE

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Meningitis has been established as the cause of a series of deaths among students of the Kumasi Academy popularly known as KUMACA in recent weeks. 

It has also been confirmed that a total of four students of the school have so far died of the disease. 

Briefing the media in Kumasi today on the outcome of medical investigations into the mysterious deaths, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, disclosed also that 26 of the students have been infected with the disease and hospitalised.

 However, 23 of them have been discharged with three of them still on admission at various hospitals in the region.

 According to the Regional Minister, all the cases were reported between 22nd and 31st of last month with the infected students first reporting of headache, neck pains, feverishness and vomiting. 

They were receiving medicare at different hospitals including the St. Patrick at Offinso Maase and St. Michael at Jachie-Pramso where the four passed on.

 Following the alarming situation, a detailed investigation was conducted by a technical committee of experts including representation from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the Ghana Health Service.

 The investigation involved laboratory tests and autopsy at the KNUST’s School of Medical Science and two of the Hospitals where the students died while being treated. What the health experts have not been able to established yet is the actual causative agent to determine the type of Meningitis that is responsible for the infections.

 For this reason, samples of dead tissues of the infected persons have been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Medical Research for further investigation. 

The Regional Minister detailed the symptons of the disease which look similar to Malaria.


 The infection was occasioned by factors such as over crowding and poor ventilation especially at the Dormitories which the school’s authorities have accepted to correct as assured by the Headmistress, Madam Eunice Appiah.


Meanwhile, the Headmistress has indicated that even though the students appeared to have psyched themselves up already, the School’s Board of Governors will meet today , April 5 to decide whether or not to allow time table for the End-of-Terminal Examination which was scheduled to start today, to remain same after considering all relevant factors. 

Also, the students who went home as a result of the apprehension have returned to campus.

 The Regional Minister noted that as an immediate intervention, each of the senior high schools in the Ashanti region will be assigned to a specific hospital with the view to helping early detection of any common ailment to the schools.

 He noted that if this was the arrangement before the KUMACA incident, some of the deceased students could have been saved.


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