The Ghana Health Service, in collaboration with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), has held a one-day training workshop to prepare for the pilot rollout of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) surveillance and disease burden estimation in Ghana.

The workshop, held in Koforidua, brought together key frontline health personnel, including clinicians, disease control and surveillance officers, and laboratory personnel from selected health facilities, as part of preparatory activities toward the pilot phase scheduled to commence in May 2026 across ten sentinel sites in ten regions.

The training focused on building the capacity of participants to effectively implement RSV surveillance by integrating testing into the existing national Respiratory Pathogen Sentinel Surveillance (RPSS) system. The initiative is expected to strengthen the country’s ability to generate reliable data on RSV epidemiology and disease burden and to guide policy decisions, including considerations for vaccine introduction.

Delivering the welcome address on behalf of the Director of Public Health, Deputy Director of the Disease Surveillance Department, Dr. Dennis Odai Laryea, emphasized the importance of the training in strengthening Ghana’s surveillance system. He highlighted the need to expand surveillance efforts to include children under two years, noting its significance for planning within the Expanded Programme on Immunization.

On behalf of WHO Ghana, Dr. Michael Rockson Adjei, Vaccine Initiative Officer, reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting the Service and stressed the importance of strong surveillance systems in generating the evidence needed for informed vaccine policy decisions.

Dr. Ivy Asantewaa Asante, Senior Research Officer at NMIMR and Head of the National Influenza Centre, assured participants of the institute’s readiness to support the rollout. She noted that while Ghana’s respiratory surveillance system dates to 2007, RSV testing was only recently introduced in October 2024 to support evidence generation.

Presenting an overview of the RPSS system, Mr. Obed Bangdome Ofori, the National Coordinator, noted that since its establishment in 2007 following avian influenza events, the system initially focused on influenza surveillance but has expanded to include SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. He added that the system currently operates 36 sentinel sites across all 16 regions of Ghana.

The RSV surveillance initiative will leverage the laboratory capacity of the NMIMR to integrate RSV testing into the existing national RPSS system. The integration follows the updated WHO standards and implementation guidance for integrated surveillance of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV issued in December 2024, and will strengthen Ghana’s preparedness and response to respiratory diseases.

Source: GHS