Ghana, Across the Continent, Begins Production of Nose Masks to Fight COVID-19

By Richard Adorsu-

Photo Credit: Bigbasket

NEW AFRICA BUSINESS NEWS (NABN) Accra- Ghana has commenced production of nose masks as part of it’s efforts to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus disease in the country and the Continent.

The Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Aboagye, made this known at a press briefing in Accra. He revealed that government is set to boost the local production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s) for the country and the Continent.

Dr. Aboagye in his submission acknowledged that PPEs remained a major challenge for all of us not only in Ghana but a global problem and that Ghana has initiated plans to boost local production of PPE’s. That notwithstanding he said, “We will continue to provide as many as possible, then be push and distribute.”

“We encourage everyone to wear masks, especially people with flu-like symptoms,” he added. Meanwhile Global Mamas, a non-governmental organization said it has produced over thousand samples of the masks ready and will seek approval from Ghanaian authorities, them for distribution.

Adams co-founder of Global Mamas, hopes initiatives like this, and the fast actions of Ghana’s government to date on combating the COVID-19, will see Ghana become “an African success story” in stamping out the coronavirus. Other organizations have also been quick to join the initiative, both in Ghana and across the continent.

Current Outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disease- Coronavirus advisory information, World Health Organization & United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.  Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. Source- WHO

who.int/emergencies

Coronavirus Q&A, World Health Organization

who.int/news-room

Coronavirus condition overview, World Health Organization

who.int/health-topics

United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov