The Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang has confirmed that a strange disease has hit the region in the last two weeks. According to him, the disease which is currently under investigation has so far infected up to 600 people with 2 casualties in a space of one week.
Mr. Tenkorang said the outbreak mimics asthma and responds to traditional treatment of asthma. He added that, the disease presents with sudden onset of chest tightness associated with difficulty in breathing, coughing, anxiety and chest pain. However, preliminary investigation has revealed that the disease is not Covid-19 as all cases tested negative to SARS COV2 at Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research Laboratory (KCCR).
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The Regional Health Director who disclosed this in a press release said areas where all the cases came from had experienced strong thunderstorm prior to the onset of the symptoms. In the meantime, the epidemic has been named Thunderstorm Asthmatic Attack. He added that samples from all infected patients have been sent to Noguchi Memorial Institute for further investigation.View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
The director advised all health workers within the region to be on the lookout for above symptoms and report to their various district health directorates. He also encouraged everyone to report immediately to the hospital for treatment as soon as they develop such symptoms. Meanwhile, all persons should stick to the wearing of face masks when in public places. At the same time, health workers have been advised to wear PPEs when caring for suspected patients.
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