By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Ghana has activated its emergency response structures against the Marburg virus disease, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement, signed by Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Acting Director-General of the GHS, observed that owing to the frequent travel between Ghana and Ethiopia, preventive measures are being taken to ensure the safety of Ghanaians.
“The Ministry of Health, through the Ghana Health Service, is closely monitoring reports of confirmed Marburg virus disease in Ethiopia. We recognize frequent travel between Ghana and Ethiopia. For this reason, preventive measures are being taken to ensure the safety of Ghanaians,” read the statement.
The GHS further indicated the country’s health ministry and its agencies are collaborating with partners to ensure that the public is safe through the following measures, including heightened surveillance at the various points of entry and issuance of alerts to all regions (provinces) and health facilities.
The rest are activation of public health emergency response structures and engagement with health partners, including the veterinary services directorate and the wildlife division of the forestry commission.
The health service urged the public to practice regular hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with persons who show symptoms, and avoid direct contact with animals who show symptoms of bleeding.
The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the outbreak of Marburg virus disease on Nov. 14, with nine confirmed cases and three deaths.
Marburg virus disease, according to the WHO, is caused by the Marburg virus and can be transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to humans. The incubation period for the disease is two to 21 days.
Signs and symptoms of the disease include fever, bloody diarrhea, bleeding from the gums, bleeding into the skin, bleeding into the eye, and bloody urine.
Treatment of the disease is symptomatic, and there is currently no vaccine available, according to the health authorities. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Find the statement issued by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) below:
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