Yellow Fever: Sissala death scare triggers vaccination drive in three Upper West districts

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) will begin a five-day yellow fever vaccination campaign on Wednesday, October 14, in three districts of the Upper West Region following confirmed cases of the disease amid reports of unexplained deaths in the Sissala area.

The reactive vaccination campaign, organised by the Upper West Regional Health Directorate, will run until October 18, 2026, and target eligible persons aged nine months to 60 years in the Sissala East, Sissala West and Wa West districts.

The Directorate said it had completed training for vaccinators ahead of the exercise and urged eligible residents in the affected districts to participate in the campaign to protect themselves and their communities against the disease.

The vaccination drive comes weeks after KumasiMail.com reported that more than 30 deaths had been reported among members of the Fulbe community in the Sissala East Municipality, with the cause of the deaths initially unknown.

In its September 29 report, KumasiMail quoted the Fulbe Chief of Sissala East, Mr Amidu Tiina, as saying he had received reports of more than 30 deaths from members of the community.

The deaths, some of which were reportedly recorded at health facilities, including Nabugujan and the Sissala East Municipal Hospital, had triggered fear among residents, particularly in communities near the Burkina Faso border.

At the time, the Municipal Health Director, Mr Veng Clifford, confirmed that the reports had reached the Municipal Health Directorate and had been referred to regional and national health authorities for investigation.

Health officials were subsequently working to establish the cause of the illness through investigations and laboratory testing.

The development has since taken a new turn following confirmation of yellow fever cases in the Upper West Region.

In a separate report published on October 9, KumasiMail reported that three yellow fever cases had been confirmed in the region, with 74 suspected cases recorded.

The report said the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, had disclosed that a National Rapid Response Team had been deployed to the northern part of the country to strengthen disease surveillance, improve case management and contain the outbreak.

The vaccination campaign is therefore part of efforts to protect residents in the targeted districts and prevent further spread of the disease.

The Regional Health Directorate is appealing to eligible residents to cooperate with vaccination teams when they arrive in their communities.

Residents are encouraged to obtain information from health officials and participate in the campaign as the authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.