Volta Region Braces For Ebola

Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey

Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey



Despite high levels of fear and panic among residents in the Volta Region due to their proximity to Ghana’s eastern borders, the Volta Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Joseph Teye Nuetey, has assured that the region is in safe hands as far as the dreaded Ebola is concerned.

According to him, the Regional Health Directorate with support from Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health and other associated stakeholders has put in the right measures to stall the Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) otherwise known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the region.

More so, four new hospitals in Sogakofe, Jasikan, Hohoe and Nkwanta have been added to the Aflao and Volta Regional Hospital (Trafalga Hospital) which were earlier demarcated as referral points for all suspected Ebola cases. Due to the inadequacy of the PPEs at the moment, the hospitals have been given five each of the 20 PPEs currently available.

Dr Nuetey assured that information from the headquarters indicates that more PPEs have been ordered and would soon be available to augment the current ones that are in short supply.

That notwithstanding, the border personnel at Aflao and the Volta Regional Hospital have adequate PPEs.

Additionally, the Ghana Health Service headquarters also have some reserved for emergency purposes.

The Assistant Chief Port Health Officer, Raphael Marfo, in charge of the Volta Region told DAILY GUIDE that education of port head officials started as far back as March this year.

Currently, officials at the borders are using surveillance mechanism to screen travellers with a case definition of the Ebola virus.

Under this system, officials take the health and travelling information of the traveller for the past 21 days. Should it emerge that within the period a traveller had exhibited any of the symptoms associated to the Ebola virus or had come into contact with any person of such profile, the traveller would immediately be sent to the nearest referral point for further monitoring and Ebola testing.

Ebola disease has killed over 800 people since it was first detected in Guinea a few months back.

FROM Fred Duodu, Ho
([email protected])

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