Gov’t sets up Ebola treatment centers nationwide

The disease and surveillance department of the Ministry of Health has confirmed to Citi News that government has set up Ebola treatment centers across the nation to allow it protect Ghanaians from any possible outbreak of the Ebola disease.

This comes on the back of a recent promise by the Ministry of Health to set up centers to allow it cater for the southern, middle and the northern zones of the country should there be any outbreak of the disease in Ghana.

Four countries in the West African sub region – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria have all been hit by disease.

A total of 1711 suspected cases with 932 deaths have since been recorded by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ghana has not recorded any case yet.

However, in an interview with Citi News, a Public Health Specialist at the Disease and Surveillance Department, Dr Franklin Asiedu Bekoe revealed that the ministry is putting in place an insurance package to motivate health workers who will work at the treatment centers.

According to him, the package is to cover medical personnel, who will be the front line staff during outbreak of the disease in the country.

He further added that the ministry will also be meeting the business community on Friday to deliberate setting up an epidemic fund. The project is expected to be ready in three weeks.

About the Ebola Virus

Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever, is one of the deadliest diseases known to humans, with a fatality rate of between 55% and 90%. It is spread through contact with the bodily fluids of Ebola patients showing symptoms.

Syptoms of Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
Fatality rate can reach 90% – but the current outbreak is about 55%
Incubation period is two to 21 days
There is no vaccine or cure
Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
Fruit bats are considered to be virus’ natural host

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu

POST TAGS

ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson

[email protected]

An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.

View all posts by: Nana Kwesi Coomson