Ebola: Travellers From Sierra Leone, Guinea Turned Away At Border

Some Sierra Leonean and Guinean nationals entering Ghana through the Burkina Faso border, have been turned away for failing to produce health certificates covering Ebola screening. Head of the Paga Port Health Unit, Francis Nyamekye told Joy News� Upper East Regional correspondent, Albert Sore that health officials at the border feared they may be carrying the disease into Ghana. He noted the unit did not have the thermo flash used to better detect signs of the Ebola virus and therefore, the travellers were made to return. �Once they had not been screened and without an Ebola screening certificate, they were made to return to their countries.� He appealed to health authorities to urgently make the thermo flash equipment readily available to facilitate their work at the border. Albert reported that a structure erected at the border for screening travellers entering Ghana, could house about 50 people at a goal. The Paga border is one of the seven approved entry points in the Upper East region. It is also one of the busiest in terms of trade. Some 3000 cases and 1500 deaths have been reported in five West African countries - Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal. The World Health Organisation has predicted there would be 20,000 more cases in the next six months before it is brought under control. Meanwhile, Mr. Nyamekye mentioned the unit has received the second consignment of hand sanitizers from the surveillance division of the Ghana Health Service. He said each traveller was given one of the sanitizers to protect them from getting infected with the disease.