Health authorities at the Kotoka International Airport say they have intensified their surveillance and screening of persons entering Ghana from Ebola infested countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The action follows Joy News’ report Wednesday evening saying nine persons from Ebola stricken Sierra Leone entered Ghana without any screening at the airport.

Coordinator of Port Health at the Ghana Health Service, Michael Adjabeng told Joy Midday News Thursday that based on the information gathered yesterday, the health authorities commenced investigation to ascertain the truth of the matter.

The authorities are determined to also ensure that all passengers from the West African countries especially, those from the worse hit nations – Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria undergo proper screening, he said.

Nine passengers, who arrived in the country from Sierra Leone last Friday, claimed they were not screened on arrival at the KIA. They had been staying in that country for six weeks.

According to one of them, they handed over their passports to Immigration officials at the counter and after going through the necessary checks and were allowed to go without any screening.

They transited through Senegal from Sierra Leone where they work for a mining company. “And after checking; we ended up collecting our luggage and then left the airport. No one screened us; nothing of that sort happened; there was no screening at all,” he told Joy News’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo Wednesday.

He said even though they told the Immigration officers they were coming from Sierra Leone, the officers did not deem it necessary to have them screened and allowed them entry into Ghana.

“I was even expecting screening for the nine of us considering the Ebola situation in that country but there was nothing of that sort,” he said.

Immigration officers said they are not responsible for the screening of passengers, blaming the Port Health officials for negligence of duty.