The government of Ghana has issued an alert, warning members of the public on the possible outbreak of Lassa fever.
Ghana Health Services (GHS) also cautioned all Divisional Directors, Regional Deputy Directors of the Service and public health care facilities of the likelihood of outbreaks of Lassa fever.
The GHS in a release explained the disease had already affected several countries in West Africa with over 300 cases and 31 deaths in Nigeria and that had necessitated urgent spontaneous national response actions among all neighbouring countries.
The GHS recommends the following to all health workers and institutions: Surveillance on Lassa fever and Acute Haemorrhagic Fevers in general (using case definitions) should be enhanced; suspected cases of Lassa fever should be managed in specific isolation conditions and that health workers should adhere to regular Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures to prevent and protect against possible nosocomial transmission.
The GHS also directed that blood sample from suspected case(s) should be taken and safely packaged and sent to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for laboratory investigations and all levels (National, Regions, Districts and Facilities) are requested to update their preparedness and response plans for Lassa fever and VHF in general, sensitize the respective staff and create necessary public awareness.
Source: Graphic
