An outbreak of Dengue Fever has been recorded in several districts of the Eastern Region, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has announced.

Unusual cases of clinical malaria that did not respond to antimalarial treatments led to further investigation, resulting in the confirmation of nine Dengue Fever cases by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).

A team of entomologists and epidemiologists has joined the regional health team to conduct a detailed outbreak investigation.

A statement issued by the GHS and signed by Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, its Director-General emphasised the need for heightened surveillance and communication among healthcare providers.

"We request Regional Directors of Health Service and Chief Executive Officers of Teaching Hospitals to ensure this Alert on Dengue Fever is communicated to all health workers in the respective Regions, Districts, and Hospitals, including the Mission and Private Facilities," the statement said.

“This is to enhance surveillance on Dengue Fever, and all clinical malaria cases need to have laboratory confirmation,” it explained.

The statement also provided a detailed surveillance case definition for Dengue Fever to aid in identification and diagnosis.

A suspected case is defined as any person with an acute febrile illness of 2-7 days duration with two or more of the following symptoms: headache, retro-orbital pain, myalgia, arthralgia, rash, haemorrhagic manifestations, or leukopenia.

The GHS also called for public awareness initiatives to prevent further spread of the disease.

It urged Regional Directors of Health Service to promote preventive measures, including avoiding mosquito bites by sleeping under mosquito nets, wearing appropriate clothing, destroying mosquito breeding sites by eliminating standing water, and managing waste properly to reduce potential breeding grounds.