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Ghana confirms first case of Human Metapneumovirus

By: Henrietta Afful

Ghana has confirmed its first case of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus that can cause serious illness in vulnerable populations.

The case, detected in an elderly adult, was identified from 90 samples tested as part of routine surveillance after a rise in respiratory infections was observed in China and other countries in December 2024.

Health Minister, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh indicated that the detection of HMPV coincides with ongoing outbreaks of cholera and meningitis.

Mr. Mintah Akandoh made these remarks when he appeared before Parliament on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, to provide a detailed update on Ghana’s health situation. This followed an earlier request from Parliament for a comprehensive report within a week.

HMPV is known to cause symptoms such as cold-like illnesses, bronchitis, and pneumonia, particularly in young children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems.

Minister Akandoh revealed that testing for HMPV began in January 2025, following the increase in respiratory cases globally. Of the 90 samples tested so far, only one returned positive for the virus.

Despite the detection, the Health Minister reassured the public that the risk of an HMPV outbreak in Ghana remains low.

He highlighted the strengthened disease surveillance systems in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have a strong monitoring system for respiratory viruses, including HMPV. Any detected case will be quickly identified and managed to prevent further spread,” he said.

Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and encourage the public to maintain good hygiene practices and seek medical attention if they experience severe respiratory symptoms.

What is hMPV?

According to the World Health Ogranisation (WHO), Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a common cold virus that can cause mild illness but may lead to severe symptoms in some people.

It belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, which includes respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Identified in 2001, hMPV is found worldwide and spreads through respiratory droplets from infected individuals or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the face.

What are the signs and symptoms of hMPV infection?

Generally, people infected with hMPV will have cold or flu-like symptoms:

• cough
• fever
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body ache
• headache.

WHO says the virus can make a few people quite sick, causing infection of the lung (pneumonia) or inflammation of the airways to the lungs (bronchiolitis, bronchitis).

Symptoms of more severe disease include wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness, severe fatigue, dehydration, or a persistent fever that does not improve.

It is advised that anyone experiencing any of these severe symptoms, should quickly seek medical advice.

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<p>The post Ghana confirms first case of Human Metapneumovirus first appeared on Ghana Health Journal.</p>

Health Minister calls for increased public awareness to combat cholera outbreak in Ghana

By: Henrietta Afful

The Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has called for an enhanced public education and a united effort among healthcare professionals, religious organizations, the media, and other key stakeholders to combat the ongoing cholera outbreak.

Following reports from the Ghana Health Service in November 2024, the Health Minister emphasized the importance of collaborative action to prevent further spread of the disease.

He said that a concerted approach is vital to safeguarding public health and ensuring effective prevention measures across Ghana.

Mr. Akandoh, during a visit to the Winneba and Swedru municipal hospitals in the Central Region, noted a promising decline in cholera cases. He was pleased to report that no deaths had been recorded in the past three weeks.

The Minister expressed his satisfaction with the hospitals’ proactive efforts, particularly their establishment of isolation centers for cholera patients, which he believes has contributed significantly to the positive trend.

Addressing residents in Winneba, the Health Minister underscored the critical importance of good hygiene practices, such as eating hot meals, drinking clean water, and washing hands regularly. These simple steps, he noted, are vital in preventing the transmission of cholera.

In a further effort to protect the public, the Minister announced that the government has made safe and free oral vaccines available to residents in Ablekuma, Awutu, and Cape Coast. He emphasized the safety of the vaccines, sharing that he had already received his own dose publicly in Ablekuma to encourage others to follow suit.

The Health Minister appealed to Ghanaians to visit designated health centers to access the free vaccines and called on local radio stations, religious bodies, local government authorities, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lend their support to the ongoing cholera prevention campaign.

He also emphasized the essential role of health workers, particularly those in Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS), in promoting hygiene in marketplaces and community centers.

Highlighting the broader environmental issues, the Minister reminded residents to avoid open defecation and the indiscriminate disposal of waste, both of which contribute to the spread of cholera. He stressed that maintaining a clean and safe environment is crucial to preventing further outbreaks.

He assured the general public that the cholera situation is now under control and called for continued vigilance and cooperation to ensure that the disease does not resurge.

The Minister was accompanied during his visit by the acting Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, the WHO country representative, health directors, health workers, and the media.

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Health Minister to brief Parliament on cholera and meningitis outbreaks

By: Sarah Baafi

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh will appear before Parliament on Tuesday, February 18, to provide an update on the cholera and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) outbreaks affecting parts of Ghana.

The briefing follows a request by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who raised concerns about the escalating public health emergencies.

In response to these concerns, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor summoned the Health Minister to address Parliament on the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the diseases.

Afenyo-Markin, whose Efutu constituency is among the hotspots, has questioned the adequacy of measures being implemented to protect affected communities.

Ahead of his appearance, Mr. Akandoh conducted field visits to assess the situation firsthand.

He toured cholera-affected regions, including Western, Greater Accra, and Central, and visited the Upper West Region to evaluate the meningitis outbreak.

The Minister is expected to deliver a comprehensive report on the outbreaks, outlining ongoing interventions and plans to mitigate their impact on public health.

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Scientists unveil benefits and risks of blockbuster weight loss drugs

While weight-loss drugs were linked to lower risk of some conditions, they were also associated with some adverse health outcomes. Blockbuster weight loss drugs can help treat ailments as disparate as addiction, blood clotting, and dementia – but they also come with risks that might give some patients pause, a landmark new study has found.

The analysis used data from more than two million diabetes patients in the United States, including about 216,000 taking the popular drugs, to map out their risks and benefits across 175 possible health outcomes.

Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and related medicines belong to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which are diagnosed for obesity or type 2 diabetes and work by suppressing people’s appetites to help them lose weight.

But the medicines are also linked to a lower risk of drug and alcohol addiction, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, seizures, blood clotting problems, infections, several respiratory issues, chronic kidney disease, and neurocognitive disorders, according to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

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SOURCE: EURONEWS

<p>The post Scientists unveil benefits and risks of blockbuster weight loss drugs first appeared on Ghana Health Journal.</p>

HIV Test kits to be in pharmacies soon as Ghana records over 23,000 new infections

HIV Test kits: The National AIDS/STI Control Programme says Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) Kits will soon be made available in pharmacies as part of efforts to control national HIV infections.

Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, the Programme Manager, said ready access to the self-testing kits would ultimately lead to early diagnosis and effective treatment to reduce the infection rate.

He said the National AIDS/STI Control Programme had started piloting the initiative and people who test positive would be advised to report to a facility to start their treatment.

Dr Ayisi Addo was speaking at the launch of the 5th National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON) to be organised by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) in 2023.

The NHARCON 2023, on the theme, “Achieving HIV Epidemic Control Amidst Emerging Health Threats,” begins on April 25-28, 2023.

The Programme Manager said this was important as Ghana, within the first six months of 2022 recorded a total of 23,495 new infections of HIV, adding that out of this figure, men have a prevalent rate of 3.6 per cent and females had 2.2 per cent prevalence.

Nine hundred and thirty-two persons died of HIV out of the current 259,408 on treatment and the remaining over 101,500 are yet to be identified, he added.

“This is in excess of the estimated 19,000 new infections annually and lower than the previous year’s positive yield of approximately 25,000,” he stated.

The Programme Manager noted that the Bono Region continues to lead in prevalence at above 4 per cent for both routine and HSS data for the period under review.

Dr Ayisi Addo explained that the 2021 HIV Sentinel Survey (HSS) prevalence for Bono East and Ahafo were 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively and remained in the top five for routine data for the first six months of 2022 aside Western North, Ashanti, Greater Accra and Eastern Regions.

He said Ghana’s dream of achieving epidemic control would be a mirage if the country did not regularly update the target population with information generated about them.

“Despite our progress towards achieving the global World Health Organization-UNAIDS aspirational 95.95.95 targets by 2030, our dream to achieve epidemic control remains a mirage.”

The 95-95-95 means that by 2025, 95 per cent of the total population of persons who are HIV positive should know their HIV status, 95 per cent of these persons should be on medication if tested positive and 95 per cent who were taking their medication should have viral suppression. However,Ghana as of December 2021, had achieved 71-99-79 of the set targets.

He said without evidence and real time data collected and disseminated to the people, to help in prevention, it would be impossible to achieve the goals no matter how laudable efforts and aspirations the country had put in place.

He called for the need to prioritize, fund dissemination and learning fora such as NHARCON as part of the prevention initiative to enable the country realise its dream of achieving epidemic control.

The Programme Manager noted that the need for data use for effective decision making had become urgent and called on stakeholders for abstracts that would contribute to addressing programmatic gaps within the national response.

He urged the Government to also use the opportunity ahead to build capacity of the teaming health workers and delegates to play a greater role in data generation, analysis and use for impactful interventions.

The conference is a platform to share ideas in support of the implementation of the current National Strategic Plan (2021-2025).

It also forms part of the GAC’s mandate to disseminate and share HIV and AIDS strategic information with its stakeholders and partners in the implementation of the National Response.

<p>The post HIV Test kits to be in pharmacies soon as Ghana records over 23,000 new infections first appeared on Ghana Health Journal.</p>