Yellow fever kills eight persons

Eight persons have been reported dead from a suspected Yellow Fever outbreak in the Savannah Region.

This follows interim laboratory results of an unusual disease from the region, a press release from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has stated.

It said the disease was presumed to be Yellow Fever and that samples had been shipped for final confirmation.

The release, signed by Director General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said tests for other Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers like Ebola, Lassa, Marburg and Zika were all negative.

It said the victims, all nomads in selected communities in West and North Gonja of the Savannah region had never been vaccinated against Yellow Fever.

The GHS, therefore, urged all persons from the Region who had a fever, general weakness, headache, nausea, and vomiting to immediately report to the nearest health facility.

It encouraged individuals who had never been vaccinated against Yellow Fever to do so.

“Avoid mosquito bites by wearing clothing that cover all parts of the body and report to the nearest health facility if you have a fever and, especially when you have yellowish discoloration of your eyes,” the Service advised.

A team of experts from the Service, Center for Disease Control (CDC) Ghana, World Health Organization (WHO) Ghana, and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) has been deployed to support the Savannah Region to investigate and institute appropriate control measures, it stated.