Be mindful of handshake, hugging – Doctors tell Ghanaians

The aCTING Director of Public Health and National Coordinator for Ebola preparedness and prevention, Dr. Badu Sarkodie, has disclosed that of all the 100 suspected cases of Ebola recorded in the country, none has turned out to be positive, after medical investigations.

He charged the general public to be careful about some cultural practices like hugging, handshake and sleeping with dead husbands, which are some of the modes of transmission, as well as desist from consuming animals like monkeys, bats and other wild animals.

Speaking at a two-day preparatory workshop on Regional/District Ebola preparedness and response plans organized by the Local Government Service, Dr. Sarkodie indicated that the incubation period of the infection is two to 21 days, and that all the victims bleed before they die.

He entreated health workers to send the right message and give adequate information to the regional ministers, in other to help put pragmatic measures in place in preventing the deadly disease.

Dr. Sarkodie disclosed that a total of 76,242 cases – including 2,909 deaths have been reported in West African countries, with Guinea recording 1,022 cases and 632 (29%) deaths while Liberia has 3,280 and 1, 677 (52%) dead, Sierra Leone 1,940 cases 957 (38%) deaths, while Nigeria has recorded 21 cases and 8 deaths.

Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Ashanti Regional Minister noted that Ashanti region as the most populous region in Ghana makes it very vulnerable to communicable diseases such as cholera and the deadly Ebola virus, which has claimed several lives in some West African countries. He commended the Local Government Service Secretariat for coming out with the workshop to enable officers from the various regions and Districts in Ghana to assess their state of preparedness and response to the Ebola virus disease, and come out with implementable action plans to control the occurrence and spread of the deadly disease.

He expressed the hope that the workshop will help complement the efforts being made by Government and Ministry of Health towards preparing adequately to avoid any death, should the disease occur in any part of the country.

He underscored that even though the country was yet to record a confirmed case of Ebola, it was appropriate that all stakeholders play their respective roles meaningfully to ensure a more co-ordinate and result oriented approach towards combating the disease at the various levels.

He said the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) was in consideration of the security implications of the disease met the Regional Health directorate and Executives of the Ghana Medical Association to strategize on the best ways to protect the citizenry from being infected with the disease.