Gov't to set up secretariat for Ebola

A Public Health Specialist at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Dr.Franklin Asiedu- Bekoe has disclosed that government plans to set up a secretariat to purposely handle Ebola cases.

He explained that in case the disease breaks out in the country, people could go to the secretariat after which they would be referred to seasoned and qualified persons to handle the case.

He made the revelation in an interview on Joy FM's “News Night” progamme, Wednesday.

Asked whether the three isolation centres which is to be set up by the GHS for treating Ebola patients had been completed, Mr.Asiedu-Bekoe confessed that they were in the process of development adding that the facility in Kumasi only needed modification.

Dr. Asiedu asserted that despite sensitization and primary education and training of local health workers, the country was expecting “specialized health workers” from the WHO to train our local health workers on handling the disease within the various districts and zones of the country.

As the nation braces itself to counter the disease from reaching its shores, there has been enormous measures put in place, one of which is the attempt to secure all unapproved routes to the country by the Ghana Immigration service.

Entry points like Aflao, Elubo, Paga and KIA have been secured to some extent with medical checks and screening for all who enter the country.

In a press statement issued by the Ministry of Communication,  government has disbursed six million cedis to help fight the disease. 10,000 personal protective equipment (PPE's) have been procured for all frontline workers in health,immigration and various agencies.

The Ebola Viral Disease(EVD) is a viral disease that kills up to 90 per cent of humans infected.

Symptoms of the disease include vomiting, high fever, headache muscle aches, sore throat, weakness, stomach pain, lack of appetite as well as presence of blood in stools and vomit.

So far the disease had swept across West African countries like Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia claiming over 1,000 lives.

As at yesterday,World Health Organization(WHO) said the death toll had reached 1,229.

However,despite all attention chanelled towards human to human mode of transmission of the disease,a virologist with the Ghana Veterinary Service,Dr. Joseph Adongo-Awuni has warned that people should be mindful of the animal to human mode of transmission.

He has therefore advised that people should not eat fruits that had already been consumed by fruit bats since they are potential carriers of the virus.