By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Dec 10 GNA – The Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has engaged key stakeholders on risk communication and community engagement as part of efforts to prevent and control the spread of Monkeypox disease.
Monkeypox Disease is a rare viral disease that affects animals and humans and mostly transmitted from wild animals to those who come into contact with them.
The main symptoms of the virus are fever including intense headache, chills and general body pains, and rushes developedbeginning with the face and spread to other parts of the body including soles of feet and palms of hand.
The engagement with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Breakthrough Action, a global social and behaviour change project, was to equip stakeholders with requisite and accurate information on the virus and how to communicate properly.
The stakeholders which are also members of the Regional Public Health Emergency Management Committee were drawn from the Ghana Health Service, National Disaster Management Organisation, Ghana Education Service, Veterinary Services Department, Information Services Department, National Commission for Civic Education among others.
As of November, 2022, the region had recorded four cases with two deaths.
Dr Emmanuel Kofi Dzotsi, Upper East Regional Director, Ghana Health Services, said awareness on the emergence and spread of the Monkeypox disease among Ghanaians was low and underscored the need for intensified education.
He said the fatality rate of the Monkeypox disease was low compared to other viral diseases, however, lack of knowledge on the cause, symptoms and mode of transmission of the disease was a major hindrance to early detection and treatment.
He attributed the deaths recorded in the region largely to late reporting of patients who contracted the disease and called on stakeholders to help sensitise residents.
“Our review of the processes that led to the death of the two, we realise that the first case, the community was not well informed about how they can get Monkeypox and what to do when they get the Monkeypox.
“So, when the patient started experiencing the symptoms, he did not report early to the appropriate health facility but was doing self-medication,” he said
Dr Dzotsi revealed that although there were no longer confirmed cases of the disease in the region, the cases in other countries continued to pose health threats and it was imperative for the public to be sensitised.
“This similar training will be extended to the districts and the districts will then extend to the communities, so we are sure thath with this training, awareness of Monkeypox will be increased so that we will be able to detect the disease early and respond promptly to prevent deaths,” he added.
GNA