The Ministry of Health has announced a 21-day monitoring period for travellers arriving in Ghana from countries experiencing ongoing transmission of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, as part of enhanced measures to prevent the disease from entering and spreading in the country.
Under the arrangement, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) will contact the travellers for follow-up during the monitoring period, requiring them to remain accessible and immediately report any symptoms that may develop.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, the Ministry said the measure forms part of enhanced public health interventions being implemented at Ghana’s international airports to prevent the importation and spread of the disease.
“Passengers arriving from countries with ongoing transmission will be monitored for up to 21 days. The Ghana Health Service will contact them for follow-up, and they must keep reachable contact details and report any symptoms immediately to the designated contact,” the statement said.
The Ministry said all passengers arriving in Ghana would also undergo screening by Port Health officers, including temperature checks and reviews of their health declaration forms and travel histories.
Travellers are required to disclose any visits to or transit through Ebola-affected countries within the preceding 21 days, as well as contact with suspected or confirmed cases.
It warned that passengers who provide false information, conceal symptoms or refuse to cooperate with screening could face public health measures under Ghanaian law.
The Ministry has also directed hotels, conference venues and similar establishments to report guests from affected countries to the nearest district health directorate and maintain their contact details.
It stressed that Ghana has not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola, describing the measures as precautionary.
The Ministry urged the public to rely on official information from the Ministry and the GHS and avoid spreading unverified reports about the outbreak.
The measure follows the spread of the disease across the continent, with Africa’s latest outbreak reportedly claiming more than 5,300 lives, most of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
More than 10,400 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak was declared in May, with the mortality rate exceeding 50%, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The virus has also spread beyond the DRC, with confirmed cases reported in Uganda and Kenya, which recorded its first-ever Ebola infections in October.
