Dr Prince Quarshie, a Deputy Director in charge of Public Health, Bono Regional Directorate of Health has urged bush meat consumers to control their appetite following the outbreak of the monkeypox disease in some parts of the country.

He said people who consumed particularly grass cutters, rabbits, and other wild animals had a high risk of contracting the viral disease.

Dr Quarshie said the Regional Health Directorate had upscaled surveillance to prevent the spread of the Monkey Pox disease in the region.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Dr Quarshie said Bono had confirmed the first case of money pox, saying five additional suspected cases had been recorded in five districts in the region, waiting for confirmation.

He said the directorate had begun and intensified contact tracing and was also strictly monitoring the movements of suspected and affected persons to help contain the spread of the disease.

Dr Quarshie appealed to the general public to be alerted and report suspected cases and entreated everybody to promote good hygiene and wash their hands regularly with soap under running water.

He further asked the public to avoid touching dead animals during this period of the Monkey Pox outbreak and urged everybody to report early symptoms of the disease, including abnormal rashes and continuous fever to the nearest health facilities.

Dr Quarshie entreated the public to promote personal hygiene, avoid self-medication and do regular medical check-ups to protect themselves and people around them from contracting the disease