Infection hazard

Eleven people have died and dozens more have fallen ill as Ghana’s annual cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) season takes hold across the northern belt, with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) confirming Wednesday that cases have been recorded in the Northern, Upper West, Savannah, and North East regions.
The deaths are occurring against a pattern health authorities have long acknowledged and struggled to break. GHS Director-General Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, who visited the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) last week as part of a regional awareness tour, said the health service was determined to ensure no one died from meningitis in Ghana, and stated bluntly that those who had already died arrived at health facilities too late for meaningful intervention. “Some even died in transit,” he said.
The disease, caused primarily by bacterial pathogens including Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, follows a predictable seasonal pattern in Ghana’s northern regions, intensifying during the dry harmattan months between January and May. The Upper West Region alone had recorded 15 suspected cases and two deaths across six districts by the end of Week 5 of 2026, with the Nadowli-Kaleo District accounting for the highest burden at seven suspected cases.
Cerebrospinal meningitis causes up to 10 percent mortality in confirmed cases annually in Ghana, and approximately 20 percent of those who survive the infection suffer permanent disabilities, including hearing loss, brain damage, and cognitive impairment. The consequences of late presentation are therefore not limited to the immediate fatality count.
Dr. Akoriyea confirmed that President John Dramani Mahama, acting through Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, had directed the GHS to ensure that no patient was charged for meningitis treatment. “Even if you don’t have a health insurance card, you will still be treated,” he said, urging communities to seek care immediately rather than waiting at home. The GHS has distributed medicines to all affected regions.
The Director-General also tasked the Navrongo Health Research Centre with extending its research into the root causes of annual meningitis-related fatalities, a signal that authorities recognise the pattern of deaths as a systemic failure requiring more than seasonal medical supply chains to resolve. Access to health facilities, road infrastructure, and community health education remain persistent gaps in the regions most affected.
The GHS has asked residents across the Northern, Upper West, Savannah, and North East regions to watch for symptoms including sudden severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, and vomiting, and to go immediately to the nearest health facility without waiting to see whether the symptoms resolve.