The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has assured Ghanaians that the ongoing yellow fever outbreak is under control, urging the public to remain calm and rely on official information as health authorities intensify surveillance and vaccination efforts across the country.
Addressing a media briefing on the outbreak, the Minister disclosed that 450 suspected yellow fever cases had been recorded across all 16 regions of the country, with 88 cases reported in the Upper West Region. He said three of the cases from the region had been confirmed by the reference laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
According to him, the suspected cases in the Upper West Region were recorded in Wa West (27), Sissala West (23), Sissala East (21), Efiama Msua Busa (7), Nadowli-Kaleo (1), Wa East (1), and Wa Municipal (1), in addition to seven cases reported in the Funsi area.
Mr Akandoh noted that investigations were ongoing into reported deaths linked to the outbreak, stressing that no death could be attributed to yellow fever without laboratory confirmation.
As part of efforts to contain the disease, he announced that government was expanding vaccination beyond routine childhood immunisation to include persons aged between nine months and 60 years in affected communities.
He revealed that an additional 187,000 doses of yellow fever vaccines had been requested to support the exercise and indicated that vaccination teams were ready to commence the campaign in the Upper West Region.
The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, explained that yellow fever is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and cannot be spread directly from one person to another.
He said common symptoms include fever, headache, body pains and abdominal discomfort, while severe cases may result in bleeding.
Dr Asiedu-Bekoe advised the public to adopt preventive measures against mosquito bites by using insect repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothing and trousers, and sleeping under mosquito nets, particularly during the daytime when the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting yellow fever are most active.
The Health Minister also cautioned against misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines, urging the public to adhere to health guidelines and actively participate in the vaccination exercise.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting public health and working with stakeholders to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease.