Ghana orders Ebola declarations, temperature checks and 21-day tracking for arriving travellers
Health Ministry says the rules are precautionary, as the Bundibugyo outbreak has now reached five countries and Ghana has no confirmed case.
Anyone landing at one of Ghana’s international airports will now have to answer questions about their recent travel and contacts before they are allowed through, under new Ebola rules announced by the Health Ministry on Tuesday, November 3.
The ministry said the measures, which the Ghana Health Service will carry out, are meant to stop the Bundibugyo virus from entering the country through international travel. It said Ghana has recorded no confirmed case and that the rules are precautionary and will be reviewed as the situation changes.
What travellers must do
Before flying, passengers must fill in a Health Declaration Form. It asks them to state any travel to or through Ebola-affected countries in the previous 21 days. It also asks about close contact with a suspected or confirmed patient, visits to health facilities treating Ebola cases, attendance at funerals or burials linked to a suspected case, and contact with blood, body fluids or contaminated materials from a sick person. Travellers with fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding or bruising are told to postpone their trip and seek medical care.
On arrival, Port Health officers will screen everyone, using non-contact temperature checks and a review of the form and travel history. Passengers with suggestive symptoms, recent travel through affected countries or possible exposure will be taken to a designated area, isolated temporarily for assessment and referred to a health facility if necessary.
Tracking after arrival
Passengers from countries with ongoing transmission will be monitored for up to 21 days. The Ghana Health Service will contact them, and they must stay reachable and report symptoms at once.
Hotels, conference venues and similar businesses must tell the nearest district health directorate when guests arrive from affected countries. They must also keep names and contact details of everyone who enters the premises while those guests are staying.
Passengers who knowingly give false information, hide symptoms or refuse screening will face public health measures under Ghanaian law.
The outbreak behind the rules
The outbreak was declared on May 15 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Cases were reported in Kenya and Nigeria in October, while Uganda’s outbreak has ended. Kenya has confirmed nine cases and two deaths, all in one cluster that began with a man returning from the DRC via Uganda on October 3. Nigeria reported a case on October 20.
In the DRC, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control counted 10,141 confirmed cases and 4,928 deaths by October 26. The Bundibugyo species has no vaccine or specific treatment, though candidates are being tested.
Ghana’s concern about direct links is not new. In an October 22 statement, the ministry said the Kenyan case posed a significant risk because of direct flights between the two countries, and that Nigeria’s case added to it because of frequent travel between them.
A continental approach
The ministry said the new rules follow commitments made at an Africa CDC ministerial meeting on Ebola. There, governments agreed to prepare for further infections while keeping movement across borders under closer monitoring. The agency’s head, Jean Kaseya, said border closures would be avoided while crossings are watched closely. Some countries are far from ready: an assessment presented at the meeting found only three of 31 countries evaluated were adequately prepared.
The ministry urged the public to rely on information from itself and the Ghana Health Service and to avoid spreading rumours. Anyone with a health concern can approach a Port Health officer at the airport or the nearest health facility.
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