36 cases of dengue fever confirmed in Eastern, Central Regions – GHS

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says 36 cases of Dengue fever have been confirmed from both the Eastern and Central Regions as of July 17, 2024.

According to the GHS, these cases, according to the Service, were detected in the communities by healthcare workers using an appropriate Case Definition.

The GHS in a statement explained that “It is worthy to note that of all these cases, only one (1) was admitted but has been discharged. The remaining are all being managed at home and are stable.”

It added that many more samples from suspected cases have been submitted to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for confirmation.

The GHS further urged the general population especially, those in the affected areas to prevent mosquito bites by doing the following:

1. Wear protective clothing
2. Use mosquito repellents
3. If you must keep water containers around your home, ensure it is tightly covered
4. Discard water in containers if the water is not being used
5. On the farms, also ensure that receptacles that could collect water such as empty cocoa pods, coconut shells etc.) ate discarded (crushed. buried etc) properly
6. If sleeping during the day or outside, sleep in an insecticide treated bed net
7. Do not self-medicate: report to the nearest health facility when you have high grade fever.

Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates. Most people who get dengue will not have symptoms.

Symptoms of dengue include: Sudden onset of high grade fever, Severe headache (mostly in the forehead), Rudy aches, muscle, hone and joint pains, Nausea and: or vomiting, Rash.