Ghana on high alert to prevent Ebola outbreak

Daily Graphic Health Sep - 09 - 2015 , 07:19

Ghana remains on high alert to combat any possible Ebola disease despite the major gains in stemming the disease in neighbouring West African countries.

According to the Upper West Regional Deputy Director of Health Services, Mr Owusu Ansah, the successes chalked up in containing the spread of the deadly disease had not made the country complacent in mapping out strategies to prevent the disease from spreading into the country.

At a forum in Wa to brief the media on the region's preparedness in the event of an Ebola outbreak, Mr Ansah said structures and measures instituted earlier during the period of the spread of the disease in neighbouring countries were still in place.

Background

West Africa was ravaged by the disease with the sub-region recording more than 11,300 deaths from over 28,000 reported cases.

Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea were the main countries with recorded cases, while Ghana and some other neighbouring countries were kept on red alert due to proximity, cross-border trade and the movement of people.

During the period, Ghana did not record any case of the virus.

Guinea and Gabon have recently tested and adopted vaccines for the Ebola virus. However, in Ghana, the vaccines are yet to be tested.

Preparedness

Mr Ansah said the lessons from neighbouring countries were good reminders in order to avoid complacency.

He stated that Ghana currently had three well-equipped Ebola treatment centres in Tema, Kumasi and Tamale to cater for the southern, middle and northern zones in event of an outbreak of the disease in the country.

In the rest of the regions, holding bays have been put up as interim points for Ebola cases, while five special ambulances had also been acquired for the Ebola project.

In the Upper West Region for instance, he indicated that the regional hospital recently received a donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Tullow Oil for health professionals, saying that work on the hospital’s Ebola facility was nearing completion.