'Kumasi Ebola' Test Proves Negative

Health authorities in Ghana have clarified there has not been any reported case of Ebola infection in the country. Laboratory test results from blood samples of a 12-year-old girl who had died from what was suspected to be an Ebola infection has come out negative. The girl had been referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi after exhibiting signs of severe fever and bleeding, both of which are symptoms of the dreaded Ebola virus. The girl who had been sent to KATH on referral from Ejisu township in the Ashanti region was reported to have come to Ghana from Mali. Her blood sample which had been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra for further laboratory investigations however came out negative. The Health Minister, Madam Sherry Ayittey announced the test results at a press conference in Accra on Monday. News of the disease scare and its suspected victim dieing at KATH scared residents of Kumasi. The disease has been causing havoc in the West African sub-region, especially Sierra Leone, Guinea and Mali. Health authorities in Ghana have been on standby and have cautioned the public to be on the lookout for symptoms. Stakeholders are holding an emergency meeting Monday to review the new development, the general situation in Ghana and the way forward. Dr Alexis Nong-Deifuba, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, have advised the public to be careful about what they eat, especially bush meat as the virus had no cure. On Sunday the Head of Public Health at KATH, Dr Dennis Laryea, told the Daily Graphic, �What we have is a suspected virus haemorrhagic fever, which is being investigated.� According to him, one of the possible causes could be yellow fever and not necessarily Ebola virus, noting, however, that the presence of the virus could only be confirmed after the test had been conducted on the blood sample. He said although the facility was not leaving anything to chance. According to him, fever and bleeding could be caused by any other disease, but since Ebola had been declared a public health hazard, officials were not leaving anything to chance. The Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey has also assured the public that the ministry and its stakeholders were on high alert to effectively manage the situation in any unlikely event.