Keep Ebola out of here
In the past few days many Ghanaians have been on the high alert following the revelation that the deadly Ebola virus has claimed lives in some West African countries.
Advertisement
Until then, we only read about stories of the deadly disease killing people in the Central African Republic and the two Congos.
Reports of the Ebola virus in nearby countries have caused fear and panic among Ghanaians because the disease is said to have no cure and anybody infected has to forget about getting well.
There was further alarm last Sunday when news started making the rounds that a 12-year-old girl has been infected with the disease and was on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
However, Ghanaians heaved a sigh of relief yesterday when the Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, announced that medical examination had established that the blood sample taken from the girl who was suspected to have died from the disease proved negative for the Ebola virus.
Ms Ayittey assured Ghanaians that “we are working hard to ensure that Ghana is safe from Ebola and also to ensure an Ebola-free Ghana”.
Equally reassuring is the disclosure by the Minister of Health that more public awareness-raising initiatives would be embarked upon to ensure that the public was well informed about the facts of the disease as a preventive measure.
Although majority of the people who got to know that the disease had killed people in the sub-region were frightened, the Daily Graphic commends the health authorities, led by the Health Minister, for steps taken so far to deal with the apparent health emergency.
Ghana has an enviable record of dealing with emergency situations. When the bird flu scare hit the sub-region a few years ago, the government was able to put in place the mechanism to contain it.
Even though some cases were reported, the situation was not very alarming to destroy the poultry industry and cause health concerns in the country.
We have exhibited the same capabilities in the latest Ebola scare in the country, with the health authorities mobilising every resource to keep the disease beyond our borders.
While we celebrate this modest gain so far, the Daily Graphic calls on the health authorities to prevent the disease from ‘crossing’ the borders into the country. This action is key, in view of the porous and weak security to contain the influx of people into the country from across the land borders.
However, in the unlikely event that there is an outbreak of the Ebola virus, we should have the strategies to contain it within manageable limits.
But since we are told the disease has no cure, it is the wish of the Daily Graphic that the health authorities would prevent it from ‘entering’ Ghana by any means possible.
