DISEASE OUTBREAK RESPONSE

Got in Satan's halitosis with no escape, earnestly struggling for air. That is how it felt trying to dissect this medical mystery. 

After a beautiful wedding ceremony Mr. X began to feel an unexplained eeriness, his temperature rose gradually till he was boiling hot and his bowel began spewing out his contents with the rapidity of a tornado. 

His whole world suddenly changed. Instead of enjoying his honeymoon, he was stuck in the four coroners of the hospital with IV medications connected to his veins. 

From then on, things went from bad to worse. The very next day, Mr. X had reddened eyes, and on auscultation a diastolic murmur was heard. His Bps were dropping every second, necessitating his being on dobutamine Infusion for days. Clearly, It was not just a simple case of enteric fever. There were more questions than answers. 

A diagnosis of viral hemorrhagic fever was being contemplated, mainly Marburg virus, which has recently been confirmed in Ghana. It was a Herculean task trying to get his sample to the accredited facility for the proper analysis. Although, in this case, it turned out not to be Marburg, it showed the gaps in our healthcare. 

 

Somehow, there was a solution to it all. An echo was done revealed that he had viral myopericarditis. A deeper dive into the history revealed that he was diagnosed with Covid-19 2 months ago, and he was having post covid complications. 

Covid-19 has showed more than ever the grueling impact of a pandemic and the essence of having a robust disease out break response. Undeniably, its roar and subsequent backfired triumph led to better advances in public health. 

Our disease outbreak response should be nothing but top-notch. With the advent of Digital Disease Detection (DDD), sequencing of viral genome and rapid diagnostic tests, we should be singing a different a tale. 

On 23rd July 2022, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, declared the current monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This is a step in the right direction, giving that it too so long before Sars- Cov 2 was declared a public health emergency.

Knowledge is power, so be aware and stay safe!