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Methodist university students undergo Ebola screening

A health screening exercise for both fresh and continuing students of the Methodist University College to prevent a possible spread of the Ebola virus has begun.

The two-week exercise, which started last Friday, is expected to end on September 26, 2014.

When the Daily Graphic visited the school last Friday, students had queued to take turns to undergo the screening. As of 12 noon, about 200 students out of 4,000 had been screened.

The exercise was conducted by personnel of Magvest and Mab Group of Companies and Vicom Specialist Hospital Annex.

Isolation room 

The Assistant Registrar in charge of Admission, Ms Lydia Derby, told the Daily Graphic that based on the advice of the medical experts, provision had been made to quarantine anybody with a suspected case.

“As of now, we have not recorded any suspected case yet,” she said.

According to her, it was a requirement for all students to undergo a medical examination at the beginning of every academic year “but this year because of the Ebola scare which has also become a global issue, it is compulsory for all students to undergo the Ebola screening here.”

To ensure that all students take part in the exercise, the Ebola screening has been incorporated in the students’ registration exercise and every student who is screened is given a chit which is inspected by the faculty heads before the students are permitted to register for each course.

“Until a student shows the chit, he or she cannot be registered as a student,” Ms Derby said.

Foreign students 

She said students at the university’s nursing school at Wenchi had also been screened at the Wenchi Methodist Hospital in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Ms Derby said the student population of over 4000 included between 400 and 500 foreign students from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and a few from the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Dr Mrs Comfort Dzokoto of Vicom Specialist Hospital Annex said the personnel and the hospitals were equipped for the exercise.

“We will immediately refer any suspected incident to the appropriate facility such as the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital  (KATH) or the 37 Military Hospital.”

She said the response of the students had been encouraging and was hoping that the exercise would end smoothly.

A Level 200 student from Nigeria, Anthony Dike, was happy the school had taken the precautionary measure.

The 18-year old student, who arrived in Ghana from vacation from Nigeria about a week ago by road, said even though he underwent Ebola screening at the Ghana -Togo border and various check points, he had no problem with taking part in the exercise again.

“It’s like everywhere you go now, you have to go through the Ebola screening. I have done it over and over and I am sure this will not be the last.” 

As of August 13, the Ebola disease had infected more than 2,127 people and killed 1,145 in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. 

Ebola had been around since 1976, and recorded local outbreaks but not as widespread as was being seen in some West African countries now.

Ghana had so far not recorded any Ebola case. 

Writer’s email: [email protected]

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