The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has warned the populace to practice good hygiene and take precautions to prevent rodent breeding in their homes.
This order comes after tests from the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research on February 24 confirmed two Lassa Fever cases in Ghana.
According to the GHS, practical precautions include keeping cats, keeping garbage far from the home, keeping grain and other foods in rodent-proof containers, and keeping clean homes.
Director General of the GHS, Dr. Kuma Aboagye in a letter said, “Let us also avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons. The Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service, in collaboration with our partners, wishes to assure the general public that all efforts are being made to contain this outbreak and prevent the further spread of the virus,”
The under-listed public health measures were implemented after the notification.
READ ALSO: GHS Announces Two Cases Of Lassa Fever; One Dead
The first incident involved a 40-year-old trader who fell ill for about two weeks before passing away at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, according to the statement.
The second case, a relative of the fatal case, is being admitted right now but is in excellent condition. 56 contacts have been found thus far, and they are being tracked down.
In Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, lassa fever—a viral hemorrhagic fever—is endemic.
According to the Ghanaian health service, Ghana reported its first case in 2011.
