The Ministry of Health has moved to allay fears among Ghanaians and other Africans following a false publication attributed to South Africa’s SABC news channel, which claimed on social media that Ghana’s Ebola cases had risen to 2,300 with 930 deaths.
In a statement, the Ministry described the figures as false and misleading, stressing unequivocally that Ghana has not recorded a single case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and urging the public to disregard the circulating claims.
The Ministry clarified that recent visits by Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh to points of entry, laboratories, and treatment facilities were part of Ghana’s routine preparedness efforts to strengthen the country’s readiness to prevent and respond to any potential public health emergency, and should not be misread as evidence of an outbreak.
The Ministry urged the public to rely solely on official information from the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, and to avoid sharing unverified reports capable of causing unnecessary fear and panic.
The clarification comes amid heightened regional vigilance since the World Health Organisation declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province a Public Health Emergency of International Concern earlier this year, prompting Ghana to intensify screening and surveillance at its borders as a precaution.