Savannah Region: Yellow Fever death toll rises to 34

The Savannah Regional Health Director, Dr Chrysantus Kubio, has revealed that 34 people have so far died from the recent outbreak of the Yellow Fever in the Savannah Region.

He made this revelation at Damongo in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region during a stakeholder engagement to update the public on the outbreak of the disease and the response activities undertaken to combat the spread of the virus.

It was also revealed at the stakeholders' meeting that all the seven (7) Districts in the region have recorded the Yellow Fever with the West Gonja Municipal recording the highest number of cases.

One hundred and eighty four (184) confirmed yellow fever cases have so far been recorded in the region with ten currently on admission, eight at the West Gonja Hospital and one at Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Districts.

The outbreak was initially detected in the West Gonja Municipality with three suspected cases involving nomadics.

The public was notified of an outbreak of yellow fever in some Districts in the Savannah Region on the 29 of October, 2021 with eight death reported.

This was after the outbreak was confirmed after an initial test conducted on samples by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the National Public Health Reference Laboratory.

A team of experts from the Ghana Health Services, World Health Organization Country office, and the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) were dispatched to the region to support the region investigate the outbreak and implement appropriate control measures.

50,300 doses of Yellow Fever Vaccines from the Headquarters of the Ghana Health Services with support from the Ghana Air Force were also dispatched to the region for onward distribution to selected Districts for vaccination.

The Savannah Regional Health Directorate is expected to take delivery of another batch of Yellow Fever Vaccination doses after running shorts of the doses sent to the region.

In all, 92 communities across the various Districts in Savannah Region have had cases of the disease with Nomadic communities being the worst-hit areas.