The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has officially declared an end to the outbreak of the deadly Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) after barely two months since the country recorded its first case.
According to the GHS, following the first case recorded it rapidly detected, communicated, and contained the virus disease with an appropriate public health response implemented.
It comes after the GHS in a statement issued on Sunday, September 17, 2022, announced that the country had first recorded two cases of the Marburg Virus Disease.
The statement noted that the virus was detected in samples from two infected persons by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research which was later confirmed by the Institute Pasteur in Dakar.
However, in a media briefing in Accra, on the update of the virus disease, September 16, 2022, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said that no new case was reported over the past 42 days, or two incubation periods, the time between infection and the onset of symptoms.
Thus, he declared Ghana free from the Marburg virus disease with zero cases in the country based on the last negative PCR test for the sole surviving Marburg patient in Ghana.
“So, on this day, 16th of September I, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the director general of the Ghana Health Service, on behalf of the Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu, together with our partners, do hereby state that appropriate outbreak response to Marburg virus disease has been implemented during the 42 days following the last negative PCR result for the sole surviving patient with a recommendation by WHO best practices.
“Ghana has therefore successfully interrupted the first Marburg virus disease outbreak and hereby declare that the outbreak is officially over, and I must say that Ghana is safe for all both Ghanaians and everybody,” he confirmed.
He attributed the successful fight against the virus to the resilient disease surveillance system that demonstrates its existing capacity to detect and engender a response action despite the challenges faced with other deadly diseases such as yellow fever, Monkeypox, and Measles among others including Covid-19.
“Ghana Health Service together with our partners under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and all stakeholders will continue to work towards achieving public health security in Ghana,” Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye assured on behalf of the sector minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu
