The 92 comprised of health workers of the Tema General Hospital who worked on the patient, his friends, family and others, Dr John Yabani, Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on Friday.

Dr Yabani indicated that the 92 where identified through the retracing of the victim’s path at Ashaiman, Nmai-Dzor and Tema.

He said they were being monitored for 21 days for symptoms of the disease, early detection and treatment in case any of them had been infected, adding that they were at different  days of monitoring depending on when they had the contact with the patient.

He gave the assurance that all those being monitored were currently healthy and have no symptoms of the disease and appealed to the public to immediately report to any health institution when they have a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius, vomiting of blood, among others for appropriate tests and care.

The victim who was admitted at the Tema General Hospital on February 23 died on admission on February 28.

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Source: GNA

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Health facilities from CHPS compound to higher institutions must create a small holding place to observe patients and take their samples for testing.

Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, Director-General of the GHS, gave the directive when he paid a working visit to the Tema General Hospital, the first health facility to record a Lassa Fever case in Ghana.

[contextly_sidebar id=”owtdfqMZZVSZKMSyKvqgXvZeLklcaMRW”]The Director General added that, the hospitals after isolating the suspected patient, should immediately report the case to the respective supervising district health directorate for a management team to be dispatched to the place for assessment.

The team he stated, would provide the needed transportation when the need to refer to the infectious centre arises.

The directive is to curb the unnecessary spread of the disease through transporting and handling of a suspected patients from one hospital to the other.

Dr. Asare said even though TGH has the only working infectious disease centre, transferring suspected Lassa fever case to Tema could lead to a spread of the disease.

He explained that due to the lack of proper health transportation for referred patients, the probability of spreading the disease through referral was high.

“A referred suspected patient can vomit in the taxi which will end up at the washing bay and subsequently spread the disease to others as the driver does not know what sickness the patient is suffering from”, he noted.

Dr. Asare indicated that other measures put in place to ensure the containment of the disease included temperature checking of people at the country’s entry points.

He added that the 32 Ghanaian health officials who helped in the control of Ebola in Liberia were also being contacted to help prevent the spread of Lassa Fever in Ghana.

He commended the TGH for effectively diagnosing and holding the deceased Lassa Fever patient, and assured that health officials of the hospital who worked on the patient were being monitored.

The Director -General said plans were underway to make the hospital a secondary referral point especially for infectious disease.

Dr. John Yabani, Tema Metropolitan Health Director, in a welcome address, thanked the Director-General and his entourage for visiting the hospital to assure health officials of their support.

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Source: GNA

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The deceased was on admission at the Tema General Hospital with general body weakness, severe headaches and profuse vomiting of blood clots.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kBTBKzR8vQrND3oXW3E5eo1xZmrdjzHE”]Prior to his admission, he was said to have traveled through the Eastern, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions but finally settled at Ashaiman for about a month.

Head of Public Relations Unit at the Ghana Health Service, Rebecca Ackwuonu, told Citi News the Ministry of Health is mounting a strict surveillance on people the deceased came into contact with prior to his brief stay at the Tema General Hospital.

“He settled in Ashaiman for about a month trying to look for a job, and the incubation is between two and twenty-one days, so we are limiting it to Tema and Ashaiman, and we have started contacting people already, our surveillance department is doing that now,” she said.

The Ministry said it has already supervised the burial of the deceased.

Ghana was alerted of the disease recently following an outbreak in Nigeria. The World Health Organization (WHO), has said it is teaming up with national and international health agencies to tackle what has been noted to be the country’s biggest outbreak.

The latest figures show 1,081 suspected cases of the disease, including 90 deaths.

This number is more than the 305 cases reported all of last year in Nigeria.

Authorities of the Ghana Health Service have told Citi News they are currently in a meeting to find a solution to the outbreak.

General information on Lass fever

Lassa fever is an Acute Viral Haemorrhagic Fever illness which is endemic in West Africa. The incubation period is 6-21 days.

The onset of the fever has non-specific signs and symptoms but fever, general weakness and malaise have been noted in its early stages.

This is followed by headaches, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.

Severe cases may progress to show facial swelling, and bleeding.

Shock, seizures, disorientation, and coma may be seen in the late stages.

About 80 % of Lassa Fever infections are mild or asymptomatic.

WHO has said the best way to prevent the disease is by promoting good community hygiene to discourage rodents that spread the disease from entering homes.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post MoH urges Ghanaians to keep calm over Lassa Fever appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Relatives and Health officials at the facility who came into contact with the deceased are being monitored.

[contextly_sidebar id=”PC1aNVXFitG7zaQTFNja8oiYTChbECG0″]The Ghana Health Service had issued an alert on the disease to all Regional Directors of Health Services and CEOs of Teaching Hospitals, urging the various health institutions to enhance surveillance for Lassa fever and Acute Haemorrhagic fevers in general.

The alert followed the outbreak of the fever in Nigeria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is teaming up with national and international health agencies to tackle what has been noted to be the country’s biggest outbreak.

The latest figures show 1,081 suspected cases of the disease, including 90 deaths.

This number is more than the 305 cases reported all of last year in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, authorities of the Ghana Health Service have told Citi News they are currently in a meeting to find a solution to the outbreak.

General information on Lass fever

Lassa fever is an Acute Viral Haemorrhagic Fever illness which is endemic in West Africa. The incubation period is 6-21 days.

The onset of the fever has non-specific signs and symptoms but fever, general weakness and malaise have been noted in its early stages.

This is followed by headaches, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.

Severe cases may progress to show facial swelling, and bleeding.

Shock, seizures, disorientation, and coma may be seen in the late stages.

About 80 % of Lassa Fever infections are mild or asymptomatic.

WHO has said the best way to prevent the disease is by promoting good community hygiene to discourage rodents that spread the disease from entering homes.

–

By: Zoe Abu Baidoo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Lassa fever kills one at Tema General Hospital appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The alert urged the various health institutions to enhance surveillance for Lassa fever and Acute Haemorrhagic Fevers in general.

This alert follows the outbreak of the fever in Nigeria which has claimed 31 lives.

“The Ministry of Health of Nigeria has confirmed and subsequently declared Lassa fever outbreak which has affected about 18 states with over 300 cases and 31 deaths. The outbreak has been on-going for the past six weeks and has necessitated urgent spontaneous national response actions among all neighbouring countries. Lassa fever outbreak has been recurrent in Nigeria and the current outbreak has affected health workers in some states,” the alert stated.

Among other recommendations, the Health Service noted that suspected cases must be treated in isolation and advised health workers to adhere to regular Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures to prevent and protect against possible transmission.

General information on Lass fever

Lassa fever is an Acute Viral Haemorrhagic Fever illness which is endemic in the West Africa. The incubation period is 6-21 days.

The onset of the fever has non-specific signs and symptoms but fever, general weakness and malaise have been noted in its early stages.

This is followed by headaches, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.

Severe cases may progress to show facial swelling, and bleeding.

Shock, seizures, disorientation, and coma may be seen in the late stages.

About 80 % of Lassa Fever infections are mild or asymptomatic.

Find below the full Ghana Health Service alert.

ALL RDHS, GHS

ALL CEOs, TEACHING HOSPITALS

LASSA FEVER ALERT

The Ministry of Health of Nigeria has confirmed and subsequently declared Lassa fever outbreak which has affected about 18 states with over 300 cases and 31 deaths. The outbreak has been on-going for the past six weeks and has necessitated urgent spontaneous national response actions among all neighbouring countries. Lassa fever outbreak has been recurrent in Nigeria and the current outbreak has affected health workers in some states.

We respectfully request the Regional Directors of Health Services and CEOs of Teaching Hospitals to ensure this Alert Message reaches all health workers in the respective Regions, Districts and Hospitals, including the Mission and Private Facilities.

We further request the Regional Directors of Health Services to initiate process to create public awareness on Lassa Fever.

We recommend 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.
6. Attached are general information on Lassa fever

We count very on your highest professional conduct, maximum cooperation and support to prevent, early detect and respond to any emergence or re-emergence of Lassa fever and any other infectious diseases.

DR ANTHONY NSIAH-ASARE

DIRECTOR GENERAL, GHANA HEALTH SERVICE

CC: ALL DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS, GHS HQ

” ALL REGIONAL DEPUTY DIRECTORS, PH & CLINICAL CARE

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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