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SABC report claiming Ghana has recorded 2,300 Ebola cases, 930 deaths is false

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Ghana has not recorded a single case of Ebola, and is certainly not dealing with deaths resulting from the disease, contrary to a false report broadcast by South Africa's public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

SABC is claiming that Ghana has recorded 2,300 cases and 930 deaths from the disease.

The report, which appeared on SABC’s news ticker, falsely suggested that Ebola infections were rising in Ghana, forcing consumers to cut back on fresh produce.

Myjoyonline.com checks with health authorities and state officials have proven that the information is entirely false, as Ghana has recorded no case of Ebola.

The SABC report has raised questions about whether the broadcast was the result of a serious journalistic error or a deliberate attempt to create alarm and damage Ghana's reputation.

A Ghanaian citizen, Joe Anim, was among the first to raise the alarm about the false report in a post on Facebook.

“SABC is falsely reporting on their news ticker that Ghana has recorded Ebola cases and that infections are rising. This is not merely irresponsible journalism; I believe it's deliberate and malicious. Government should take them on.”

Myjoyonline.com has indications that the Government of Ghana is expected to respond to the false alarm.

The report comes at a time when information about infectious diseases requires the highest level of accuracy and responsibility, given the potential for false reports to cause unnecessary panic and undermine public confidence in health authorities.

The Government is, therefore, expected to demand clarification from the SABC and take appropriate steps to correct the false information.

Joe Anim's update

The false claim that the country has recorded 2,300 Ebola cases and 930 deaths is completely untrue.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.