By Daniel Agbesi Latsu
Kadjebi (O/R), June 26, GNA – The Oti Region has recorded three confirmed yellow fever cases out of 43 suspected cases as of June 22, 2026, health authorities have disclosed.
The region has also confirmed one case of influenza from 120 suspected cases reported during the same period.
Mr Thomas Vigbedor, the Oti Regional Disease Surveillance Officer, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement on disease surveillance and epidemic preparedness held at Worawora in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region.
He said the Ghana Health Service (GHS) was intensifying surveillance activities across the region to ensure the early detection, reporting and management of infectious diseases to prevent outbreaks.
Mr Vigbedor said in addition to the confirmed yellow fever and influenza cases, the region recorded 35 suspected measles/rubella cases, four suspected Mpox cases, 29 suspected Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases, and three suspected meningitis cases. He noted that laboratory investigations had ruled out all those suspected cases.
He urged residents to seek prompt medical attention whenever they experienced symptoms of illness instead of resorting to self-medication, stressing that early diagnosis and treatment remained critical in preventing severe complications and reducing disease transmission.
Mr Vigbedor also advised the public to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene and support routine immunisation programmes, especially against vaccine-preventable diseases such as yellow fever and measles.
Presenting a paper on Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease (BEVD), Mr Vigbedor said the current outbreak was affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, requiring heightened vigilance in neighbouring countries and the rest of the continent.
He said the disease was a severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus and was transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of infected persons or animals, as well as contaminated materials.
According to him, the latest situation report as of June 14, 2026, indicated that the outbreak had recorded 894 confirmed cases and 200 deaths across the two affected countries.
Mr Vigbedor urged healthcare workers and the public to remain alert, promptly report any suspected cases, and strictly observe infection prevention and control measures to minimise the risk of transmission.
The stakeholders’ engagement formed part of efforts by the Ghana Health Service to strengthen disease surveillance, improve emergency preparedness and enhance collaboration among key stakeholders in safeguarding public health in the Oti Region.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah