The Oti Regional Health Directorate has pledged to intensify disease surveillance and community reporting systems after four cases of monkeypox, also known as Mpox, were confirmed in the region during the first half of 2026.
Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Kofi Amo-Kodieh, said all four patients received treatment and had fully recovered, with no deaths recorded from the cases.
He made this known at the 2026 Mid-Year Performance Review Meeting of the Oti Regional Health Directorate in Worawora in the Biakoye District.
The meeting brought together health managers and other stakeholders to assess healthcare delivery during the first six months of the year and identify measures to address challenges confronting the sector.
Dr Amo-Kodieh said the successful management of the Mpox cases demonstrated the importance of early detection, effective surveillance and rapid treatment in containing infectious diseases.
He commended health workers for responding promptly to suspected and confirmed cases and urged them to maintain vigilance, particularly in communities where access to health facilities was limited.
The Regional Director also disclosed that some suspected cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) had been recorded during the period, but laboratory tests subsequently returned negative results.
Although the results were reassuring, he cautioned that health authorities could not afford to relax surveillance because of the potentially severe consequences of delayed detection and treatment of CSM.
Dr Amo-Kodieh called for stronger collaboration between health workers and communities to ensure that unusual illnesses and suspected disease cases were reported promptly.
He also urged residents to observe proper hygiene practices and seek medical attention as soon as they developed symptoms associated with infectious diseases.
According to him, the Directorate would continue to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory testing, case detection and emergency response systems in partnership with health facilities and development partners.
He further stressed the need for adequate logistics, personnel and other resources to enable health workers to conduct effective surveillance and supportive supervision, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.
Dr Amo-Kodieh said the mid-year review was critical to identifying gaps in healthcare delivery and developing practical strategies to improve performance during the second half of the year.
He reaffirmed the Directorate’s commitment to ensuring that residents across the Oti Region had access to timely, equitable and quality healthcare services while strengthening preparedness against potential disease outbreaks.
