BY : DARI KWABENA MATHEW (+233552376423)
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed two cases of Lassa Fever in Accra after tests by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
The GHS disclosed that the first case was a 40-year-old trader, who was unwell for a period of about two weeks and finally died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
The second case is a contact of the fatal case and is currently on admission but is very stable. So far, 56 contacts have been identified and are being followed up by the Ghana Health Service.
The GHS in a statement signed by Director-General, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye noted that Public Health Emergency Management committees at all levels (National, Regions and Districts) have been activated with detailed investigations including an environmental assessment ongoing.
The Health Service added that essential medications and logistics including Personal Protecting Equipment are being mobilized while contact tracing and management are ongoing.
Lassa fever (a viral hemorrhagic fever) is endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.
