KUMACA Deaths: Don't Panic To Withdraw Students...You May Endanger Lives, Parents Warned

The Ghana Health Service has warned parents to desist from attempting to withdraw their wards from Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) as they may be endangering their lives as well as others, following what authorities suspect to be an out break of Meningitis in the school.

According to them, investigations have started to identify the cause of a number of deaths that has hit the school, so parents need to exercise patience.

Some parents and guardians who have their wards at the Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) school in the Ashanti Region have beseiged the premises of the school to take their children home.

The siege by the parents follows the unexplained death of six students with 25 others currently on admission. This resulted in a stand-off between the parents and school authorities who refused access to the pupils in the school.

The latest report on Tuesday, 5 December, means a total of six students have passed away in the latest tragedy that has struck the school. The recent three; two females and a male, died at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) hospital.

Speaking on Okay fm's Ade Akye Abia Programme, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Nsiah Asare explained that a team of medical personnel have been sent from the nation's capital to augment the effort of their colleagues.

"We are just pleading with parents to stay away so that we can contain the situation, if they take their wards home they are only spreading the disease which is contagious.

"Until we are able to determine what kind of Meningitis, we have however put in emergency measures to ensure that affected students are well catered and treated for," Dr. Nsiah Asare stated.

Commenting on this development on his Facebook page on Tuesday a Ghanaian based US law Professor, Prof.Kwasi Asare is asking government to declare a state of emergency at the Kumasi Academy School.

Prof Asare said: “With 7 students dead this year, 3 in the last 72 hours, it is time to declare a state of emergency at KUMACA.”

Meanwhile, blood samples of deceased students have been sent to the Noguchi Institute to find out what kind of meningitis has caused the death of the students and which has also resulted in several others being admitted at the KNUST Hospital and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as well.