Suspected case of Ebola disease tests negative

Monday 7th April , 2014 1:17 pm

ebolaTest results of blood samples from the 12-year-old girl who was suspected to have died from the Ebola virus in Kumasi has tested negative.

Doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) over the weekend sent the blood samples of the girl to the Noguchi Research Institute at the University of Ghana for confirmation of the presence of the deadly virus.

The Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health, Tony Goodman confirmed the test results to Citi News saying, “as I speak to you, we don’t have Ebola in Ghana.”

He narrated that over the weekend, health officials “were able to pick up signals that looks like Ebola and we’ve been able to send the blood samples to Noguchi Research Institute and it’s proven that it’s not Ebola.”

Mr. Goodman insisted officers at all the country’s boarders have been trained on how to handle suspected cases of Ebola.

All hospitals at the boarders have also been asked to create isolation units for persons with symptoms of the virus.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate is screening the family and school mates of the 12-year-old girl.

Citi News’ Ashanti Regional correspondent, Hawa Iddrisu reported the health officials were in Islamic Primary School in Kenyase to screen school children.

A nurse has also been stationed with the family to monitor them for a month to detect any symptoms of the virus

The Ebola Virus is spread by close contact and kills between 25 per cent and 90 percent of its victims.

Discovered in 1976 after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire, Ebola causes a severe haemorrhagic fever.

Victims suffer vomiting, diarrhoea and both internal and external bleeding. Scientists are yet to develop an antidote or vaccine to curb it.

By: Betty Kankam-Boadu-Citifmonline.com/Ghana