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Disease outbreaks stem from system failures, not border issues – Prof. Ernest Kenu:
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The Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Kenu, has warned that infectious diseases continue to spread in Ghana not because of weak border controls but due to failures within the country’s health and sanitation systems.
Delivering his inaugural lecture at the University of Ghana’s Great Hall on Thursday, June 25, under the theme, “Disease Smuggling: The Unseen Cargo in Global Health Security – Lessons from Cholera and COVID-19 in Ghana,” Prof. Kenu said disease-causing germs move silently through contaminated water, poor sanitation, overcrowded spaces and weak surveillance systems.
According to him, Ghana’s first documented cholera case was recorded in September 1970 after a traveller from Togo collapsed at the then Accra International Airport.
However, he said the outbreak’s actual source was a Ghanaian fisherman who had died in Togo and whose body was brought back home by relatives, unknowingly carrying the cholera bacteria.
Since then, he said, Ghana has recorded more than 15 cholera outbreaks, with poor sanitation continuing to fuel the disease.
Prof. Kenu disclosed that in 2014, Greater Accra alone recorded 20,199 cholera cases and that nearly 80 per cent of the country’s index cases were linked to prior travel to the capital.
He further revealed that during the 2016 cholera outbreak in Cape Coast, visiting a treatment centre increased a person’s chances of becoming infected by twelve times, turning healthcare facilities into centres of transmission.
The epidemiologist stressed that simple handwashing with soap and running water could reduce diarrhoeal diseases by between 32 and 48 per cent and provide a return of two dollars for every one dollar invested in handwashing programmes.
Touching on the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Kenu said the virus entered Ghana in March 2020 through travellers from Turkey and Norway.
He said the government responded quickly by closing the country’s borders, imposing restrictions and introducing enhanced surveillance measures, including testing everyone living within a one-to-two-kilometre radius of a confirmed case.
According to him, studies on the first 17,763 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana showed that nearly 80 per cent of infected persons had no symptoms, allowing the virus to spread unnoticed.
He revealed that only 12.3 per cent of people observed proper hand hygiene in public spaces, while nearly 60 per cent of people wore face masks incorrectly during the pandemic.
Prof. Kenu said delays in laboratory test results, which in some cases lasted up to 10 days, also contributed to the spread of the virus.
He noted that when Ghana reopened its borders, health authorities successfully integrated COVID-19 surveillance into the country’s existing influenza-like illness surveillance system, improving efficiency and strengthening disease monitoring.
In an unexpected development, Prof. Kenu said a Phase II clinical trial for a new cholera treatment conducted between 2021 and 2023 failed because there were no patients to enrol.
He explained that the improved handwashing and hygiene practices introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic had reduced cholera transmission so significantly that the trial ended without recording a single cholera case.
The professor noted that poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene practices currently cost Ghana between US$290 million and US$500 million annually, representing about 1.6 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Warning of future threats, Prof. Kenu said Ghana could face outbreaks from antimicrobial-resistant cholera strains, new coronavirus variants, Ebola or other unknown diseases emerging from environmental and ecological changes.
He called on the country to invest in field epidemiology training, decentralised laboratory systems, community-based surveillance and integrated digital disease monitoring systems.
“Disease smuggling will never stop at passport control points. It ends when our systems function effectively and when every citizen becomes part of disease surveillance,” he stated.
Prof. Kenu urged authorities to improve access to safe water, strengthen sanitation systems, enforce infection prevention measures in health facilities and promote proper handwashing practices to protect the country from future outbreaks.
Chairperson of the event and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said Professor Kenu’s lecture had highlighted the fact that some of the world’s greatest public health threats are often invisible and can spread silently if systems are not prepared to respond.
She noted that the lessons from Ghana’s experiences with cholera and COVID-19 showed the importance of investing in strong health systems, disease surveillance and preventive measures to protect lives and livelihoods.
Prof. Amfo further urged policymakers, researchers and the public to apply the lessons from the lecture by prioritising public health and strengthening the country’s preparedness for future disease outbreaks, stressing that health security is a shared responsibility.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Women have been asked not to dismiss painless lumps in the breast, as the absence of pain does not mean a lump is harmless.
A Specialist Radiation Oncologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Mary Ann Dadzie, said women should seek medical attention promptly whenever they noticed any unusual changes in the breast.
“A painless lump is not a harmless lump. You need to take action and not wait for pain,” she said.![Prof.Dr.Grace Ayensu-Danquah [middle] launching of Breast Cancer Awarencss Mouth with Dr.Caroline Reindorf Amissah[second from right] and other officials Photo Okai Elizabeth.](https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Prof.Dr_.Grace-Ayensu-Danquah-middle-launching-of-Breast-Cancer-Awarencss-Mouth-with-Dr.Caroline-Reindorf-Amissahsecond-from-right-and-other-officials-Photo-Okai-Elizabeth.jpg)
Dr Dadzie made the call at the 2026 national launch of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held on the theme, “early action, better outcomes.”
She expressed concern that about 45 per cent of breast cancer patients seen at Korle-Bu failed to return after starting treatment.
According to her, some patients began treatment but later stopped reporting to the hospital, leaving health professionals uncertain about their wellbeing.
She attributed the situation to several factors, including fear of death, financial difficulties, long distances to health facilities, lack of time and stigma.
Dr Dadzie urged women to know their breasts and seek medical attention within two weeks of noticing any abnormality.
She said warning signs could include a lump or thickening in the breast or armpit, changes in breast size, an inverted nipple, nipple discharge and changes in the skin, including redness, sores or an orange-peel appearance.
She cautioned women not to assume they were safe simply because they had no family history of breast cancer, explaining that only about five to 10 per cent of women with the disease had a familial or genetic mutation.
Dr Dadzie encouraged women to undergo regular clinical breast examinations and discuss appropriate screening options, including mammography and ultrasound, with health professionals.
She also called on families, particularly husbands and partners, to support women who needed breast examinations or treatment.
“Home is where the support begins,” she said, urging families to provide practical assistance such as transportation and childcare.
Dr Dadzie further appealed for breast cancer services to be brought closer to communities through increased access to mammography, ultrasound and biopsy services, as well as the training of more health professionals.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Prof. Dr Grace Ayensu- Danquah, said breast cancer remained a major health concern among women in Ghana, with an estimated 4,650 new cases and about 2,060 deaths recorded annually.
She said Ghana’s breast cancer response focused on prevention, early detection, equitable access to treatment and compassionate care.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah said the country was working to strengthen awareness, clinical breast examinations, referral systems, pathology and diagnostic services to improve breast cancer outcomes.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Dr Joana Ansong, said too many women continued to present with advanced breast cancer, resulting in avoidable suffering and deaths.
She called for stronger health education, timely diagnosis, rapid referral and equitable access to comprehensive treatment and support.
Dr Ansong said breast cancer awareness should move beyond campaigns to sustained action involving government, communities, health professionals, civil society organisations, the private sector and families.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Authorities of Percheyire R/C Basic School in the Yilo Krobo District of the Eastern Region are concerned about the safety of teachers and learners of the school, as reports of the condition of the structure appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
The ramshackle classroom structure looks like one that could cave in in the case of a heavy storm and, according to the teachers, teaching and learning become impossible when the rains set in.
The structure, which accommodates pupils from Primary Four to Six, has worn-out roofing sheets, mud walls and sections supported by wood used as pillars.
A source at the school, who requested anonymity, told The Spectator in an interview that the situation was particularly difficult during the rainy season.
“When it rains, it means teaching and learning would come to an end,” he said.
The source explained that the challenge affected only the upper primary section, as pupils from Kindergarten to Primary Three were housed in a relatively better block.
According to the source, about 30 pupils from Primary Four to Six currently use the dilapidated structure, but expressed grave concern about its condition.
The source, however, said that the safety of the pupils, their furniture and books remained a concern, particularly during heavy rains.
The source said the situation had been reported to the relevant authorities and was hopeful that the structure would eventually be reconstructed.
Some pupils sitting in one of the classrooms
Despite the visit to the school, authorities indicated that work would be undertaken, but the school was yet to receive further information on when the project would begin.
The source also identified the poor road network to the school as another challenge affecting enrolment, saying the school serves pupils from Percheyire and three neighbouring communities.
It also emerged that an enrolment drive embarked upon in one of the communities, Togodo, showed that more than 60 school-going children lived in the community, but were unable to attend the school regularly because of the distance and poor road.
The school currently has about 110 pupils from Kindergarten through Junior High School, according to the source.
The source said improving both the classroom infrastructure and the road network would help create a more conducive learning environment and potentially improve enrolment.
A former teacher of the school, Rev. Elizabeth Korasare, said she was surprised to find the structure still in use after 38 years.
“I was surprised to see that the classroom I sat in 38 years ago is in the same state. Even though there are some new blocks, the upper primary is still housed in that same dilapidated structure,” she told The Spectator.
She therefore appealed to the relevant stakeholders to support the school by building a modern structure and improving the road network.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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