WHO and US CDC assess global risk as low, but urge all nations to strengthen preparedness

Ghana has ramped up its disease surveillance systems and activated precautionary public health measures at all entry points following a deadly Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship that has since docked in Cape Verde, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced.

The GHS confirmed that no case of the viral disease has been recorded on Ghanaian soil, but said the proximity of the outbreak and the international profile of those aboard the vessel warranted an immediate and coordinated national response.

Eight suspected cases have been reported on the cruise ship, five of which have been laboratory-confirmed. Three passengers have died. The vessel’s crew were predominantly from the Philippines, while passengers came from the United States, Europe, South America, Australia and parts of Asia.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a viral infection spread primarily through contact with infected rodents — specifically through exposure to their urine, droppings or saliva, or through contaminated surfaces. The disease does not spread from person to person under normal circumstances. Symptoms include fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, abdominal discomfort and vomiting, with serious cases progressing to acute respiratory distress.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following a joint risk assessment, have concluded that the overall global public health risk remains low. However, both bodies have urged countries to strengthen surveillance and preparedness systems as a precaution.

Ghana’s Response

The Ministry of Health and the GHS, working through Port Health authorities and health partners, have instituted a multi-pronged response. Measures now in place include enhanced surveillance at all ports of entry — airports and seaports alike — increased monitoring and reporting of unusual respiratory illnesses at health facilities across the country, strengthened laboratory preparedness, and rapid response systems capable of acting on emerging threats.

Ghana has also intensified collaboration with the WHO and international disease surveillance networks to ensure timely access to evolving information on the outbreak.

A public health education drive on rodent control and environmental sanitation has been launched as part of the response.

Advice to the Public

The GHS has issued a set of practical guidelines for the public, urging Ghanaians to keep their homes, workplaces and surroundings clean to deter rodent infestation; store food properly and dispose of waste promptly; avoid direct contact with rodents or their droppings; wear gloves and masks when cleaning infested areas; and wash hands regularly with soap and water.

Anyone experiencing fever, difficulty breathing or flu-like symptoms following possible exposure to rodents — or after recent international travel — is advised to seek immediate medical attention.

“The Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service assure the public that Ghana’s disease surveillance systems remain active and responsive,” the GHS statement read, urging citizens to remain calm, disregard misinformation and follow only official public health guidance.

Both men and women urged to monitor lifestyle habits as infertility burden rises across sub-Saharan Africa

Couples struggling to conceive should take a hard look at their coffee consumption, a leading Ghanaian fertility specialist has warned, adding that excessive intake of the popular beverage can significantly impair reproductive health in both men and women.

Dr Edem K. Hiadzi, Founder of Lister Hospital and Fertility Centre and immediate past President of the Fertility Society of Ghana, issued the caution during a Merck Foundation Health Media Training held online, urging would-be parents to scrutinise every aspect of their lifestyle.

“Once the baby isn’t coming, watch every single thing you do,” Dr Hiadzi told participants at the training, which was designed to equip journalists across Africa with the tools to cover infertility issues accurately, sensitively and in line with international media ethics standards.

A Broader Crisis

The coffee warning came as part of a wider discussion on the alarming burden of infertility across sub-Saharan Africa — one of the regions with the highest prevalence of the condition globally.

Dr Hiadzi outlined a range of contributing factors, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as Chlamydia and gonorrhoea, which can trigger pelvic inflammatory disease and lead to either infertility or ectopic pregnancies. He also cited unsafe delivery practices by traditional birth attendants and faith-based facilities, noting that non-sterile procedures frequently result in severe pelvic infections that compromise future pregnancies.

Other causes identified by the specialist include tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, female genital mutilation — which he described as still occurring in parts of the developing world — HIV infection, obesity, underweight conditions, poor diet, varicocele, viral infections such as mumps, previous hernia repair, and drug and alcohol abuse.

“HIV can affect the body’s ability to produce the hormones needed for pregnancy and may lead to early menopause,” he noted.

Men Not Spared

Challenging a widely held assumption that infertility is a woman’s problem, Dr Hiadzi stressed that approximately half of all infertility cases are attributable to male factors. He urged the public to shed this misconception and approach reproductive health as a shared responsibility.

The impacts of infertility, he said, extend far beyond the clinical — encompassing domestic violence, particularly against women, divorce, emotional distress, anxiety, depression and diminished self-worth.

Call for Responsible Media Coverage

The training also foregrounded the media’s critical role in reshaping public attitudes towards infertility. Vice-President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Rebecca Ekpe, urged journalists to prioritise expert-led reporting and exercise heightened caution on social media platforms, where misinformation and stigmatising narratives can spread rapidly.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Francisca Tshitenge Bwalya echoed the call, stressing that media coverage of infertility must be both medically accurate and framed in ways that do not compound the social stigma already borne by those affected.

Dr Ruben Kanime, a Merck Foundation alumnus, also addressed the training, speaking to the importance of healthy lifestyles in preventing diabetes and hypertension — conditions increasingly linked to reproductive complications.

Dr Hiadzi closed with a direct appeal to journalists to help normalise the conversation around infertility, describing media practitioners as essential partners in driving the cultural and behavioural shifts needed to address one of Africa’s most under-reported public health challenges.

Doctors at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have suspended their strike action after reaching an agreement with hospital management over a simmering turf dispute at the facility’s Central Laboratory — bringing temporary relief to patients who had been left stranded when Out-Patient Department services were withdrawn.

The Korle Bu Doctors Association (KODA) announced the suspension in a notice dated Monday, May 4, 2026, just hours after its members had downed tools and pulled out of OPD services in a move that sent shockwaves through one of Ghana’s busiest referral hospitals.

At the heart of the dispute is a professional standoff between Laboratory Physicians and Medical Laboratory Scientists over roles and operational control within the Central Laboratory — a tension that had apparently been building beneath the surface before boiling over into full strike action.

KODA said the decision to suspend followed direct engagement with hospital management, who offered assurances intended to allow Laboratory Physicians to return to their posts and restore working cooperation within the unit.

“Peaceful collaboration between both professional groups is essential for quality healthcare delivery,” the Association said, signalling that while the strike is on hold, the underlying issues are far from fully resolved.

Effective Tuesday, May 5, 2026, KODA has directed its members to resume Out-Patient services — a development that will come as welcome news to the scores of patients and their families who had their appointments and treatment disrupted by the industrial action.

The Association, however, made clear it is keeping a close eye on how management follows through on its commitments, reaffirming its dedication to patient safety and professional standards at the teaching hospital.