YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK; Claims Three Lives

A yellow fever patient

At least three people have been killed in the latest outbreak of yellow fever in the West Gonja District in the Northern Region.

Twelve more people are said to be suffering from the disease in the area.

Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. It can kill up to 50 percent of victims if adequate treatment is not administered.

The Health Ministry has said in a statement that the public must be wary when travelling to the Northern Regional District.

The ministry says the disease comes with fever, jaundice, muscle pain with prominent backache, and headache.

There may also be bleeding tendencies.

Symptoms appear after an incubation period of 3 to 6 days following the bite of the mosquito.

The Health Ministry has advised that people showing symptoms must report to the nearest health facility.

Public Relations Manager of the Health Ministry, Tony Goodman, says efforts to contain the disease are on course.

“We have officers there [West Gonja] trying to do public education. We are also making sure that the needed resources are supplied,” he said.

Meanwhile, a meningitis outbreak in the Tain district of the Brong Ahafo Region has also so far killed nine people with 30 cases reported.

According to Mr. Goodman the disease in the Tain district is also under control.

“For about two weeks now for the meningitis we have not recorded any new cases,” Mr Goodman said.

Editorial

We can’t continue like that

The comment by head of the Ghana Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei in an interview on Star FM, that she sometimes wishes she had not taken the EC jobs is understandable given that barrage of accusations and allegations that have been made against her.

But it is also a comment that should make all of us reflect on how we are building the nation.  We are creating a situation where it becomes difficult to find top officials who only want to serve the public in a non-partisan manner.

It was not too long ago that Mr Kwadwo Afari-Djan, Mrs Osei’s predecessor, was subjected to myriad accusations and allegations, none of which was backed by any verifiable evidence.

When Mr Afari Djan decided to bow out after reaching the statutory retirement age for his position, many thought his successor would be spared the wicked attacks, at least, before she gets the chance to supervise a general election.

But that was no to be.

Soon after her appointment had been announced, the rumour mill went into full gear conjecturing up special reasons for her appointment as the EC boss.

Things got worse when the country’s major opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) claimed that the country’s voter register was faulty.

Somehow Mrs Osei’s expected duty was to accept the NPP’s allegations and order for a new voters’ register.

Asking for respecting personalities to investigate the allegations, as she did, has earned her the wrath of some who claim she is biased.

In such an atmosphere when taking reasonable steps to resolve issues becomes contentious, it becomes easy to understand why the EC boss will occasionally have doubts on whether she was wrong in accepting the job.

Thankfully, she says she will soldier on because she sees the need to rise up to the task.

The question for those who delight in making the atmosphere difficult for public servants with various unproven allegations is how impossible they are making it for anyone to function for the good of the nation without partisan considerations.