‘The single most important thing’ is accurate passenger data – Prof Amuasi on Ebola preparedness
Ghana must prioritise accurate passenger information to strengthen its Ebola preparedness, Prof John Amuasi, KCCR's Global Health Lead, said.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, he warned that airport temperature checks and hand rubs offer reassurance but have limited value in detecting infected travellers.
“So for me, the single most important thing is being able to collect as accurate data as possible on every single person who comes off the plane in this country, making sure that the phone numbers they submit are accurate and finding a way of verifying it.”
His call comes as Ebola cases in Nigeria and Kenya put cross-border surveillance under scrutiny.
Nigeria confirmed an imported case on October 20. The patient developed symptoms four days after arriving from Uganda. That gap between arrival and illness highlights the importance of tracing passengers after they leave the airport.
Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths as of October 25. All cases were linked to its first imported infection. Uganda also recorded cases during the wider outbreak, although its outbreak has ended.
Prof Amuasi said relying on visible signs of illness at arrival leaves a major gap.
“The point I was making is that nobody is going to be coming off an aeroplane or even jumping on an aeroplane when they are visibly sick with signs and symptoms of Ebola, and therefore your ability to catch it when someone is coming off a plane is really limited.”
He said testing every arriving passenger was not practical.
“We can't be doing PCR tests for everyone coming in.”
Instead, authorities should verify passengers’ contact details and ensure they can be located when necessary. Travellers must also know where to seek help if symptoms develop.
“Making sure that we have a way of being able to geolocate them if necessary, and also making sure that they are able to report to designated facilities or via the phone lines or the contact means if they come down with any of the symptoms.”
For him, education must target people entering the country. It must be backed by detailed information that allows authorities to follow up.
He stressed that temperature checks and hand rubs should not create misplaced confidence.
“They help people to be more confident and comfortable. But at this stage right now, they don't count very much.”
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.