A case of Monkeypox has been recorded in the Bono East Region, Dr Fredrick Adomako-Boateng, the Regional Director of Health Services said on Wednesday.
He said it was detected last Friday in the Techiman Municipality. The patient, a woman aged 32 was currently in isolated confinement with great concentrated medical attention on her by health officials.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the Regional Health Directorate at Kintampo, Dr Adomako-Boateng said the Directorate was prepared to implement measures to prevent the disease from becoming pandemic in the region.
He said the Techiman South Municipal Health Directorate had since mounted a surveillance and contact persons of the patient had been identified and specimen samples were also taken for analysis and confirmation.
Dr Adomako-Boateng said through the alert of Dr. Patrick Kumah-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service that there had been an outbreak of monkey pox disease in three regions of the country, and the Directorate mounted surveillance in all health facilities and public places.
Following the surveillance, a facility in the Techiman Municipality reported a suspected case and the specimen sample was taken to the reference laboratory for analysis at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, he said.
Dr Adomako-Boateng stated the results proved positive, but he assured the Directorate was making extra effort to identify more contact persons of the patient to prevent the spread of the disease.
He said the patient was now doing home isolation with clinicians attending to her to recover soon, assuring that “her condition is mild and does not show any severe ailment and complications”.
Mr Abraham Num, the Disease Control Officer at the Techiman Municipal Health Directorate urged the public to limit contact with monkeys, squirrels, rats and other animals to avoid possible infection by the pox.
Mr Num advised the public to boil meats of these animals well before consumption and ensure the continuous practising of the preventive protocols including frequent hand washing under running water, social distancing, wearing of nose mask and avoidance of handshaking in public places.
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