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Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has entreated local communities to be observant and help the Service to detect early symptoms and signs to prevent the spread of the Monkey Pox disease.

He said the GHS had intensified surveillance and therefore required community support to help contain and prevent a possible outbreak of the disease in the country.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye made the call when he interacted with health workers at the Sankore Health Centre in the Asunafo South District, as part of his two-day working visit to the Ahafo Region.

He also tasked public health institutions to upscale COVID-19 vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of the viral disease.

Accompanied by other key staff of the GHS and the Ghana Health Service Council, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye was in the region to interact with, identify and help address challenges confronting the health workers.

He said COVID-19 cases were resurfacing, and expressed the fear that the pandemic could devastate communities that had less vaccination figures, and appealed to the health workers to support the campaign.

Dr Kumah-Aboagye underscored the need for everybody to continue wearing nose masks and also observe other COVID-19 preventive directives and other health and safety protocols.

He said the country recording more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases was an indication that the pandemic was resurfacing, and tasked the health workers to identify and vaccinate more people in the local communities.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye explained the Health Service Council was rebranding the GHS, indicating that study leaves would be granted to qualified health workers who had at least served for three years and above.

He said workers who had also served in deprived communities for at least two years could be considered for the study leave and advised health workers to accept postings to serve in the rural areas.