WHO: 10 Ebola experts to Ghana

• Posted on August 16, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Ten experts on Ebola from the World Health Organisation (WHO)  will be in Ghana on Monday to train Ghanaian doctors and healthcare providers who will be working at the three Ebola treatment centers to be set up in the country.

This was revealed at the launch of a campaign to educate Ghanaians about the deadly Ebola disease by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Dubbed the National Ebola Awareness Week forms part of efforts to educate the general public about the symptoms of Ebola as well as how to prevent the disease.

According to the Deputy Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Kyei Farid, the three centers will be the Southern, Middle and Northern parts of the country.

Health Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyeman- Mensah announced the setting up of Ebola treatment centers in three regions across the country about two weeks ago.

Dr. Kyei Farid also revealed that the GHS has also imported some more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical doctors who will to attend to Ebola patients.

Dr. Farid further stated that government has plans to adopt and use the untested ZMapp drugs to fight the deadly disease.

He mentioned that Ghana has also put in a request for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to supply the country with some of the untested drugs.

‘’…Ghana is making the effort to say, we don’t have a case but [is asking the WHO] to put us [Ghana] on the list in case of an outbreak we too can get some [of the ZMapp drug].

WHO last week gave the green light for the use of untested drugs to fight the deadly Ebola disease.

WHO came to the decision after a consultative meeting with experts from across the world on whether it was ethical for such unapproved drugs to be introduced to fight the disease that has gained global attention.

Dr. Farid explained that government is putting in place measures to fight the disease should there be an outbreak in Ghana.

The ZMapp drug is developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. It is the only known experimental drug that has successfully treated a confirmed Ebola case.

American doctors, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, were saved by the drug after they came down with the virus in Liberia.

Until then the treatment had never been tried before on humans.

Ebola has so far killed about 1,069 persons mostly in Africa [Guinea, Liberia, Serra Leone and Nigeria] since renewed outbreak in March, 2014.

Early symptoms of the Ebola disease include: high fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, weakness, stomach pain, lack of appetite as well as presence of blood in stools and vomit.

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By: Evans Effah