Is Ghana prepared for a possible Ebola outbreak? ; Asks a public health activist in Liberia
Dear Sodzi, After a couple of months in Liberia, I find myself reflecting on what it would take for Ghanaians to be prepared for a possible Ebola virus disease outbreak. Can we as Ghanaians refrain from shaking hands when we meet a relative, friend or colleague? Can we relinquish some of our traditional practices for preparing the dead for burial that puts the living at risk of infection?
Advertisement
Can we give up some of our delicacies such as game? Are we ready to seek professional health care promptly and isolate ourselves from our families when we get sick in order to protect them from catching the virus from us?
And are our health authorities prepared to respond to a possible Ebola outbreak? Do we have sufficient personal protective equipment and supplies available in every healthcare facility, both public and private, to prevent the spread of Ebola to our health workers and other patients? And have our health workers been adequately trained to manage this vicious disease which kills more than half of the people who contract it? What about even basic universal precautions such as simple latex gloves, water, soap and functional toilets in our health facilities to prevent more common infectious diseases that we are used to, such as cholera?
Today, May 9, 2015, will be 42 days since the last Ebola-confirmed case in Liberia was buried and no new cases have been detected since then. This means that technically Liberia could be declared “Ebola-free” by the criteria set for the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, with the Ebola outbreak still going on, albeit waning, in its neighbours to the west (Guinea and Sierra Leone), it is unlikely that Liberia can let its guard down any time soon.
As of May 3, 2015, there had been a total of 26,628 cases of Ebola (confirmed, probable and suspected) and more than 11,000 deaths in this largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease that began in Guinea in December 2013. Liberia suffered more than 10,000 cases in the space of 13 months (March 2014 to March 2015) but thankfully, has been down to zero cases since March 27, 2015. Guinea and Sierra Leone have also been making progress with controlling their outbreaks; both countries reported nine new cases each in the most recent epidemiologic week, ending May 3, 2015 (Source: http://apps.who.int/ebola/en/current-situation/ebola-situation-report-6-may-2015). Epidemiologic surveillance and public vigilance remains high in all three countries.
What about Ghana? In July 2014, when Nigeria reported its first Ebola case, it seemed that Ghanaians started paying more attention to their own risk of an outbreak but since the end of the outbreak in Nigeria a few months later, that heightened state of awareness and vigilance seems to have waned in Ghana in spite of the persistent, and initially worsening, outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Why is that? Perhaps our social and commercial ties with Nigeria are stronger than with the three countries most affected by Ebola so we may think our risk of importation is lower. But that seems like false comfort since the three most affected countries are literally a “stone’s throw away” from Ghana. And perhaps more importantly, in this day and age of globalisation and rapid international travel, Ebola could end up on our doorstep from any country in the world at any time. Are we ready to detect the Ebola virus quickly and respond to it aggressively so we minimise the number of people infected and killed by it?
Since October 2014, WHO has been assisting 14 African countries, mainly in West Africa, including Ghana, to prepare for a possible Ebola outbreak. This process has been facilitated by a comprehensive preparedness checklist comprised of 10 indicators, including epidemiologic surveillance, laboratory capability, clinical case management, rapid response teams and public awareness. As of May 6, 2015, Ghana’s combined preparedness rate was only 32 per cent compared to the most prepared country, Senegal, at 59 per cent (Source: http://apps.who.int/ebola/preparedness/map). Ghana, what are we waiting for?
I do recognise that a lot of measures have been put in place since the first set of West African cases last year, but I dare say that more can be done.
Yours sincerely,
Abrefi.
