The Ministry of Health on October 8, 2026, declared an outbreak of yellow fever in two districts of the Upper West Region – specifically the Sissala West and Wa West districts.
In a press release published on its social media pages, the Ministry of Health said the cases were confirmed after suspected cases presenting symptoms like fever, jaundice and bleeding were collected via surveillance triggering a public health investigation.
“Samples were initially tested in country. Further testing at the WHO accredited laboratory in Dakar, Senegal (Institut Pasteur) confirmed 3 cases due to yellow fever. All three cases resulted in deaths despite aggressive management by our health staff in those facilities,” the statement signed by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, stated.
In its formal declaration of the outbreak, the Ministry said: “In line with the International Health Regulations (2005) and the National Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), the Minister for Health hereby declares a Yellow Fever outbreak in the affected districts in the Upper West Region.”
The statement also outlined measures government has rolled out so far in respect to the outbreak. The Ministry through the Ghana Health Service has:
- Activated the National and Regional Public Health Emergency Operations Centres.
- Deployed Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to affected communities for case finding, surveillance and risk communication.
- Preparing for a targeted emergency vaccination campaign in affected and at risk districts(Wa West, Sissala West and Sissala East) in October.
- Promoting use of insecticide repellant and sleeping under insecticide-treated nets during the day.
- Strengthening case management at designated health facilities.
- Heightened surveillance across the region.
- Intensified community engagement and risk communication in the region
Factsheet: Key facts about Yellow Fever transmission in Ghana
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Yellow fever is a disease spread by the bite of an infected mosquito that bite mostly during the day. The public is advised to report to the nearest health facility if there is a sudden fever, muscle pain, headache, yellowing of the eyes or skin or unusual bleeding. They are also entreated to eliminate stagnant water around homes, avoid self medication, avoid the spread of unverified information and rely on the Ministry for any updates.
Update on Yellow Fever
In an update on the outbreak on October 9, the Minister assured the public that “the yellow fever situation in the country is under control, urging residents to remain calm and rely on official information as health authorities intensify surveillance and vaccination efforts.”
He told the media that 450 suspected yellow fever cases had been recorded across the 16 regions, with 88 reported in the Upper West Region. Three cases from the region have been confirmed by the reference laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
The suspected cases in the Upper West Region include
Wa West (27)
Sissala West (23)
Sissala East (21)
Efiama Msua Busa (7)
Nadowli-Kaleo (1)
Wa East (1), and
Wa West Municipal (1), alongside seven cases in the Funsi area.
Health authorities are investigating reported deaths, noting that these cannot be attributed to yellow fever without laboratory confirmation.
Hon. Akandoh added that the government is expanding vaccination beyond routine childhood immunisation to cover people aged 9 months to 60 years in affected areas. He disclosed that an additional 187,000 vaccine doses had been requested to support the exercise, with vaccination teams prepared to begin the campaign in the Upper West Region.
