Ghana has recorded approximately 450 suspected yellow fever cases between June and September 2026, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has disclosed.
The Upper West Region accounts for 74 of the suspected cases, three of which have been confirmed, the Minister said during a health sector update in Accra on Wednesday, October 7.
Mr Akandoh urged the media and the public to exercise caution when reporting the figures, stressing that suspected cases must be confirmed before conclusions are drawn.
“Suspected cases, we have a limit to which we can test in Ghana. In some cases we take the samples to Senegal to go and confirm,” the Minister said.
He said the distinction between suspected and confirmed cases was particularly important when determining whether deaths were linked to yellow fever.
“But not until it’s confirmed, we don’t have to press the panic buttons,” he said.
Meanwhile, a rapid response mechanism has been activated in areas where cases have been detected.
“The National Rapid Response Team has been deployed to the northern part of the country, especially the Upper West, where we’ve detected cases,” he said.
Health authorities are also managing facilities designated for isolating suspected cases as the government monitors the situation.
Mr Akandoh rejected suggestions that the situation was out of control, noting that reporting more than one or two cases is enough to declare an outbreak.
“And so, please, and with respect to yellow fever, the guideline is that when you report more than one or two, it is enough to declare an outbreak. And so it is not out of had,” he stated.
He did not disclose the number of deaths associated with the suspected cases, saying health professionals must determine whether the deaths were attributable to yellow fever. He also urged journalists to rely on official sources when reporting on the situation.
