In a swift precautionary measure to shield its borders from cross-border viral transmission, the Ghanaian government has escalated public health surveillance and passenger screening protocols across all international gateways nationwide.
The heightened biosecurity measures follow recently confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and a growing outbreak cluster in Kenya, raising regional concerns over air travel safety across West and East Africa.
Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Akandoh, confirmed the development in an official statement, emphasizing that the aggressive airport screening push is designed to prevent the importation of the pathogen, enable early case identification, and ensure rapid clinical containment.
The regional health alert intensified after Kenyan health authorities reported an index case of the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) earlier this month.
The outbreak in Kenya subsequently expanded to seven confirmed cases, including three healthcare personnel involved in the initial patient’s treatment.
The risk profile for West Africa escalated further when Nigerian health authorities confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja, triggering joint aviation and health surveillance interventions across Nigeria’s air corridors, including the placement of 46 high-risk contacts on a 21-day flight restriction list.
Minister Akandoh noted that while Ghana has recorded no cases of the virus, its high volume of direct air traffic with both regional hubs makes enhanced vigilance mandatory.
‘The situation in Kenya poses a significant risk to Ghana due to direct flights between the two countries and higher passenger volumes than in the DRC,’ Akandoh explained. ‘In addition, the confirmed case in Nigeria has compounded this risk because of frequent travel between the two countries. This has necessitated strengthening existing surveillance and screening measures, especially at the airport.’
To operationalize the defense strategy, the Ghanaian Ministry of Health has partnered with the Ghana Airports Company Limited, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, and emergency management stakeholders to streamline point-of-entry protocols.
As part of the readiness drive, multi-agency simulation drills were conducted at Kotoka International Airport in Accra and the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre to test rapid isolation and clinical referral pathways.
Furthermore, health authorities have instituted post-arrival tracking for passengers originating from high-risk corridors, updated laboratory testing protocols, and retrained frontline clinical workers across healthcare facilities on rapid symptom identification.