Another Ebola scare remained a scare after 17 fishermen who returned from Liberia on Sunday have been declared free of the deadly Ebola virus.

The fishermen tested negative to the disease whose cure has not yet been found after the KEEA Health Directorate screened them upon their arrival at Elmina.    

But Central Regional correspondent, Richard Kojo Nyarko reported, the screening process left much to be desired.

“The health official themselves were without glass, were without nose marks without PPEs. All they came with was with one gadget plus some forms they are asking them questions and they were filling”, he said.

He also saw the use of laser thermometer to check the temperature of the fishermen. A reading exceeding 38 and 39 degrees celsius are possible suspects of the Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Almost 5,000 people have died of Ebola in West Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO), Time magazine has reported. More than 13,500 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the outbreak earlier this year. The new death figure may indicate that the spread of the deadly disease has slowed.

The deadly virus has ruptured common show of affection as Ghanaians have become increasingly discouraged from handshakes and hugs. Hand sanitizers, a product rarely popular have seen an unprecedented patronage as it is now found in public work places and churches.

According to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in Accra, Ghana has so far tested 100 suspected cases of Ebola, but as of November, all of them had proved negative.

The Director of the National Ebola Control, Dr Bedu Sarkodie, has been reported by the Daily Graphic as saying, “God is a Ghanaian, and that is why he has given us ample time to prepare. He will not forgive Ghanaians if we are unable to deal decisively with the disease when it hits our shores.”   

Ghana has become the United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) to provide logistical support to other West African countries plagued by the virus.