The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has ramped up its surveillance efforts following the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the Africa CDC, due to a significant surge in Mpox cases across 15 African countries.
The GHS is taking proactive measures to minimize Ghana’s exposure to the disease, which, though rare, can be fatal.
This move comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 2,030 cases and 13 deaths so far this year, a sharp increase compared to the 1,145 cases and seven deaths recorded in 2023.
Notably, four countries—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—have reported their first-ever Mpox cases since mid-July 2024.
Director of Public Health at GHS, Dr. Franklin Asiedu Bekoe,emphasized the importance of heightened vigilance among Ghanaians, particularly regarding unusual skin rashes.
“We are going to activate our surveillance system. We aim to raise awareness so that people do not mistake Mpox for chickenpox. We will also enhance our coordination efforts,” Dr. Bekoe stressed.
He further clarified that Ghana should not have been listed on the Africa CDC website as one of the 15 African countries with confirmed Mpox cases, noting that the last recorded case in Ghana was in April 2023.
“In Ghana, our last case was in April 2023. Since we have had cases in the past, we are activating our system to manage any potential cases,” he added.
Mpox, which can cause severe lesions across the body, spreads from animals to humans and between people through close contact, including skin-to-skin interaction and respiratory transmission. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and body-wide lesions, and the disease can be deadly if left untreated.
Two main strains of the virus exist, with the milder one responsible for the global outbreak in 2022 that spread primarily through sexual contact. The more deadly strain, endemic to Central Africa, is the cause of the recent variant detected in DR Congo.
There are three available vaccines for Mpox, but they are typically reserved for individuals at high risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person.