Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, has given assurance that Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) which has been in the news for sometime as a result of the outbreak of swine flu will not be closed down.
Briefing Parliament, Friday, over the update of investigations into the cause of the mysterious deaths in KUMACA, the Health Minister who is also the MP for Dormaa West, said students of the school will continue to remain on campus until investigations are concluded.
This measure, he noted, is a recommendation from both the Ministries of Health and Education, the Ghana Health Service and that of the Ghana Education Service.
His response contradicts earlier comments by the deputy Minister for Education in charge of Senior High, Technical and Vocational Schools, Dr. Yaw Adu-Twum.
Dr. Adu-Twum had told reporters on Wednesday, December 6, 2017, that due to the mystery surrounding the death of students from KUMACA, the government will close down the school to enable health experts to investigate the course of the death of the students.
Agyemang-Manu commenting further told the House that the discovery of the deadly influenza Type A H1N1 2009 pandemic strain is a good news to the country since they now have the full assurance that the disease is curable.
“This is good news because earlier, we were overwhelmed that we were in an unknown island. We didn’t even know what to do. Now that this has been confirmed, at least we know that the disease is curable and therefore, can easily be diagnosed and treated”, he noted.
He outlined a number of measures the government is undertaking to bring the situation under control.
For instance, he said the government is strengthening surveillance conditions that it has put in place as well as taking steps in collaboration with the World Health Organisation to access vaccines as part of the response measures.
Further to that, he said the Health Ministry has procured anti-viral agents for case management.
” So far, that has been used and it looks like we have succeeded in treating and containing the disease”, noted Mr. Agyemang-Manu.
The Health Ministry, he added, is also strengthening case management including strict adherence to preventive and control measures.
