Ghana has begun screening travellers arriving from Ebola hotspots Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said Tuesday.
Speaking to local media, he said checks are running at Accra International Airport and will extend across the country’s land borders, with attention on passengers from the worst affected areas. Every arrival faces screening, he stressed, because outbreaks respect no boundaries.
The measures follow fresh Ebola cases in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the rare and highly virulent Bundibugyo Ebola strain a global public health emergency. Ghana has not recorded any confirmed case.
Akandoh said the country is equipped to contain the virus should it surface, while cautioning against complacency.
“There is no cause for panic, but we must all play our part,” he said.
The push builds on a wider preparedness drive. During an airport inspection, the minister ordered advanced temperature scanners and improved passenger flow systems, and handed personal protective equipment to frontline staff. Diagnostic capacity at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and isolation units at the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre have also been reviewed.
Authorities have urged the public toward basic precautions. These include regular handwashing, avoiding handshakes, and promptly reporting symptoms such as fever, vomiting or unexplained bleeding, with handwashing stations now expected at mass gatherings.
