Ghana has strengthened its surveillance and emergency response systems to detect, contain and manage any potential Ebola case, although no case has been recorded in the country, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has assured.

Measures at the country’s entry points have been stepped up, while laboratory testing, contact tracing, isolation and treatment capacities have been enhanced to facilitate a rapid response should an infection be detected.

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, gave the assurance during a visit to the Accra International Airport (AIA) to assess the country’s preparedness following reports of Ebola cases in other African countries.

“We are ready. We are praying we don’t record any case, but if we do, we are ready to do the needful. So, we should not be afraid,” he said.

Accompanied by health officials, Akandoh held a closed-door meeting with airport executives, technical officers and Port Health personnel before inspecting measures put in place to screen travellers and identify suspected cases.

Thermal scanners, electronic declaration forms

Akandoh said the assessment followed an earlier visit in May, during which he directed the installation of thermal scanners and the introduction of electronic health declaration forms to strengthen surveillance at the airport.

He disclosed that the thermal scanners had been installed, while work on the electronic declaration system was nearing completion.

The minister said the declaration form had been revised following a demonstration of the system and that he would soon issue a directive requiring passengers arriving in Ghana to complete the forms.

According to him, the information collected would help health authorities assess travellers’ health status and support contact tracing if a case were detected.

Laboratory and treatment capacity

The minister also disclosed that Ghana was expanding its laboratory testing capacity, with the number of laboratories capable of supporting the Ebola response increasing from three to five.

He said the reference laboratory was ready to conduct tests, while the infectious disease centre had the capacity to provide isolation and treatment services.

Akandoh stressed that the absence of a specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola made prevention, early detection and rapid contact tracing particularly important.

He noted that developments in other African countries, including a recently reported case in Nigeria, coupled with frequent travel between Ghana and affected countries, made continuous monitoring at the country’s entry points necessary.

Government commits resources to preparedness

On funding, Akandoh said the government had not set a fixed spending limit for Ebola preparedness and would make resources available as needs arose.

He cited the procurement of personal protective equipment, thermal scanners and logistics for the electronic declaration system as some of the interventions already funded by the government.

“When they need what, we should be able to provide it,” he said.

No exceptions to screening protocols

The minister directed Port Health officials to strictly enforce health protocols for all arriving passengers, regardless of their status.

He urged the officials to ensure that travellers complied with hand sanitisation and other screening requirements, saying no passenger should be exempted from the procedures.

“Diseases are no respecter of anybody. So, both at the VIP level and everywhere, anybody who arrives must go through their processes,” he stated.

Akandoh added that Ghana was coordinating its preparedness efforts with other countries and continental health institutions, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), through technical and ministerial engagements.