By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Oct. 21, GNA – The Upper East Regional Public Health Emergency Management Committee has intensified efforts to assess the region’s preparedness for potential disease outbreaks, following reports of yellow fever in the neighbouring Upper West Region and Ebola in Nigeria.
The committee, which brings together health, security, immigration and port health officials, is expected to review the availability of essential medical supplies, trained personnel, logistics and other resources required to respond effectively to public health emergencies.
Speaking at a meeting of the committee in Bolgatanga, Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said public health emergencies required coordinated action beyond the health sector because of their potential implications for national security.
“Public health emergencies go beyond health. So, it is a national security matter, because something can start from here and spread downwards and everywhere,” he said.
Dr Abubakari noted that the movement of people across borders could increase the risk of disease transmission, which made collaboration among health officials, immigration authorities and port health officers essential.
“It means that we all have to be alert. And that is why all of us are represented in this room,” he told the committee.
The Regional Director further cautioned that the region needed to strengthen its preparedness for meningitis as the dry season approached.
He explained that November marked the beginning of the meningitis season in Ghana, which lies within Africa’s meningitis belt, and made it necessary for health authorities to remain vigilant and ready to respond to potential outbreaks.
He said the committee would also discuss risk communication strategies to ensure that the public received timely and accurate information without creating unnecessary fear, “We do not create panic, but we also do not give people false confidence that nothing is happening,” he added.
Dr Abubakari emphasized that effective preparedness, early detection, timely reporting and coordinated response remained critical to prevent and contain disease outbreaks in the region.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Reporter’s email: [email protected]