Government installs equipment at KIA to screen for Ebola

Two computers with thermal imaging cameras have been installed at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) as part of measures by the government to beef up surveillance to prevent any possible outbreak of the Ebola viral disease in the country. The computers, acquired at a cost of 200,000 dollars and installed at the Arrival Section of the KIA, will be able to check the temperature of travellers. Any passenger with a temperature reading more than 38 degrees Celsius will be isolated for further screening. The Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, and the Minister of Transport, Mrs. Dzifa Attivor, were at the KIA yesterday to inspect the equipment. Dr Agyeman-Mensah said the installation of the temperature scan formed part of the government’s commitment to ensure that the Ebola virus did not enter the country. He said the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Ebola set up by the President was leaving no stone unturned in its quest to ensure that Ghana stayed Ebola free. Apart from the imaging machines, officials at the KIA also have non-conduct thermometers which also help them check the temperature of people. Meanwhile, a report by the Northeastern University, USA, puts Ghana at the top of 30 countries that are likely to report a case of Ebola by the end of October this year. According to the report, Ghana stood a 49 per cent chance of importing the virus into the country through air travels. However, the Minister of Health assured Ghanaians that with the measures put in place, any passenger with Ebola symptoms would be picked on arrival. He said all other entry points in the country had been equipped to isolate any suspected case.

Source:Dailygraphic