450 suspected yellow fever cases recorded across Ghana – Health Minister

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says about 450 suspected yellow fever cases were recorded across Ghana between June and September 2026, with 74 of the cases reported in the Upper West Region.

According to the Minister, three of the 74 suspected cases in the Upper West Region have so far been confirmed as yellow fever.

Mr Akandoh stressed that suspected cases must be confirmed through laboratory testing before an illness or death can conclusively be attributed to yellow fever.

“As of yesterday, the suspected cases were around 450 from June to September. Of those, 74 were from the Upper West, and 3 were confirmed from the Upper West. You see, sometimes the health professionals have a way of determining whether or not a death is attributable to a particular disease, but not until it’s confirmed,” he said.

Speaking at the Ministry of Health’s Health Sector Update Engagement in Accra, the Minister said the government had intensified surveillance and response measures, particularly in northern Ghana.

He said laboratories had been supplied with the necessary reagents to enable health officials to test and confirm suspected yellow fever cases.

Following the confirmation of cases in the Upper West Region, Mr Akandoh said a National Rapid Response Team had been deployed to the area to support containment efforts.

He added that designated sections of district hospitals had also been isolated to facilitate the management of suspected and confirmed cases.

The Health Minister urged the public and media to remain calm and support ongoing efforts by health authorities to contain the situation.

“We don’t have to press the panic buttons. So the media, please, let’s handle it well; there are a lot of things that have been deployed,” he said.