The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed the detection of Lassa fever in Ghana, following the death of one person at the Tema General Hospital in Accra.
According to Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Director-General of the GHS, the patient was confirmed to have died after contracting lass fever after a test was conducted by the Nougouchi Memorial Institute.
He, therefore, called on the public to be extremely cautious of rodents and maintain good hygiene.
He also urged the public to report any suspected case of the disease.
Meanwhile, Authorities at the Tema General Hospital in Accra have held an emergency meeting following the detection of the disease.
Following the deaths of over 31 persons in Nigeria in February 2018 and a Lassa fever outbreak in West Africa with over 300 cases, the Health Ministry issued an alert of the likelihood of an outbreak of Lassa fever in the country.
GHS recommends the following to all health workers and institutions:
1. Surveillance on Lassa fever and Acute Haemorrhagic Fevers in general (using case definitions) should be enhanced.
2. Suspected cases of Lassa fever should be managed in specific isolation conditions
3. Health workers should adhere to regular Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures to prevent and protect against possible nosocomial transmission
4. 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
5. 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.