Dr Afisah Zakariah
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has been advised by the Interior Ministry to increase surveillance at all levels to prevent the likely importation of a strange disease that has reportedly killed about 11 persons in Liberia into Ghana.
As a result, the Health Ministry has urged all agencies operating under it to increase surveillance in order to prevent the disease from spreading to the country.
In a letter signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Dr Afisah Zakariah, and addressed to all agencies, the ministry indicated that it was notified by the Ministry Interior that 11 people died from a strange disease in Liberia, with at least nine others infected.
“We forward herewith, for your attention and necessary action, letter No SCR/TA76/131/01 dated 9th May, 2017 and its attachment received from the Ministry of the Interior informing this ministry of a strange disease in Liberia,” it said.
It added that the symptoms reported by the victims mainly were headache, weakness, diarrhoea, vomiting and mental confusion, abdominal pain and fever.
Liberia from 2014 to 2015 suffered an epidemic of Ebola virus disease which killed about 11,000 of its population.
Its neighbours, namely Sierra Leone and Guinea, suffered the Ebola epidemic as well during the same period.
BY Melvin Tarlue