We were nearly out of the woods from the pandemic that wrecked the whole world, COVID–19. Just when everything was returning to normalcy and restrictions had been relaxed, we are currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. Was it too early for the government to ease restrictions aimed at fighting the disease? And now we have on our shores a close cousin of smallpox called ‘Monkeypox’. Will things ever get back to how they were before the COVID-19 pandemic?
On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, the Ghana Health Service confirmed that five cases of Monkeypox had been detected in the Greater Accra, Bono, and Eastern regions. The Service has said that it is focusing on early detection and containment of the Monkeypox. Though there have been no recorded deaths, there is no known treatment for the disease. Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu Bekoe, stated in an interview with GBC News that the Service will be “training more clinicians to better manage the situation”.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, the director of the Ghana Health Service had earlier stated that there is a vaccine available for Monkeypox but it is not yet in Ghana. He further noted that the cases being recorded were mild to moderate cases and he did not think that we have “reached the stage to call for vaccination in Ghana”. Countries like Morocco and Nigeria have also recorded cases of Monkeypox, with Nigeria banning the consumption and sale of bush meat as a means to forestall the spread of the disease.
Monkeypox
Monkey Pox is caused by the same-named virus, which is closely related to Smallpox, which has now been wiped from the earth. Both are Orthopoxviruses, which belong to the Poxviridae family. Monkeypox was initially discovered in 1958 when outbreaks of a pox-causing disease were found in monkeys kept in captivity for research. It was initially discovered in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, and it is now found throughout Central and West Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 4,594 suspected cases of Monkeypox in 2020, with 171 deaths (case fatality ratio of 3.7%).
The Way Forward for Ghana
The government and the Ghana Health Service must take the necessary steps to combat this disease as early as possible by getting the vaccine and making it accessible to Ghanaians so that we are protected. We must not wait until we are overwhelmed with severe cases before finding a way to escape if we want to prevent another pandemic.
Photo Credit: SciTechDaily