The Western Regional Health Directorate has activated its public health emergency response system following a significant increase in monkeypox cases, which currently account for 71% of all confirmed cases nationwide.
The alarming statistics were disclosed by health officials during the Western Regional Development Retreat, held in Essipong, Sekondi-Takoradi, on Saturday, June 21. Kwadwo Okyere Apenteng, the Regional Health Directorate’s Chief Pharmacist, made the announcement on behalf of the Regional Health Director, stating that the Western Region recorded its first case of monkeypox on May 23 in Tarkwa.
“Monkeypox is also in the country, and currently, the Western Region is number one; we have taken over. Seventy-one percent of the cases in the country are coming from the Western Region. As it stands, we have 187 suspected cases and 43 confirmed cases,” he was quoted as saying by citinewsroom.com.
To contain the outbreak and prevent further spread, he added that the Directorate is intensifying surveillance and public education as part of a broader emergency response strategy.
The outbreak has sparked renewed concerns about the region’s healthcare system. Speaking at the same event, Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson stressed the urgent need to complete stalled health infrastructure projects, particularly the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, and to strengthen healthcare delivery systems.
“Our regional hospital in Effia Nkwanta is undergoing some revamping, but as we speak, the work is stalled. I pray that, very soon, work will resume so that we can complete it for the very purpose for which that project was started,” he said.
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