Director General Of The Ghana Health Service Prof Samuel Kaba Akoriyea
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says it has curtailed a yellow fever outbreak recorded between September and the first half of October, following the confirmation of four cases.
Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said the confirmed cases were detected in Sissala West, Wa West, and two other locations identified as Etu and Nadowli-Kaleo.
He explained that the cases were confirmed through laboratory testing in Dakar, Senegal, before health authorities moved to contain the outbreak through vaccination.
“We had an outbreak of yellow fever, but it has been curtailed. Between September and the first half of October, we recorded cases, more than two in this case, that came confirmed from Dakar,” he stated on TV3’s Hot Issues, Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Dr Akoriyea noted that the four cases were officially confirmed, adding that the vaccination exercise formed part of the response to the outbreak.
He further disclosed that investigations are underway to confirm whether some deaths recorded in affected communities were indeed due to yellow fever as has been speculated.
In a related development, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea cautioned health workers against publicly announcing suspected disease outbreaks without the necessary authorisation and confirmation.
He said health professionals must exercise caution when communicating information about diseases to the public, warning that premature announcements could create unnecessary fear and anxiety.
He noted that it was often difficult to correct public perceptions even after initial suspicions had been disproved by laboratory results.
“Sometimes, we even have health staff, which I keep saying, I take the opportunity to say this to all Ghana Health staff, that do not pronounce any disease without the requisite and required authorisation and accuracy to the public,” he said.
