Cholera Alert In Northern Regions

Dr. Ellias Sory, Director of Health Service

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is raising cholera alerts in some parts of the country especially the three Northern regions as the rains continue to fall.

According to the service, there is the likelihood that many residents in these areas could contract the disease if they are reckless with the handling of their surroundings.

There are already reports of an outbreak of cholera in some parts of the Brong Ahafo region which has claimed one life.

The Public Health Unit of the GHS said the situation in Brong Ahafo is under control but it fears the outbreak can spread to the northern parts of the country if the situation does not improve.

Dr. Joseph Amankwah is the public health director of the GHS.

He said 'as we keep on saying, sanitation is key, provision of safe water is very key, personal hygiene is key as well as food hygiene.'

'I am pleading with all of us to put our hands on deck to address these waste factors otherwise the disease has the potential to spread up North because the rains are now coming and the tendency is that sources of water are going to be contaminated and for that matter the probability of having cholera spreading to these areas is very high so we all have to put our hands on deck to check these waste factors.'

Meanwhile, 25 new cholera cases have been reported at the Kwesimintsim Polyclinic in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis.

Dr Jonathan Mensah, Acting Medical Superintendent of the hospital told the Ghana News Agency that two deaths had so far been recorded.

He called on the general public to be alert and adopt simple health measures in curbing spread of the disease.

Dr Mensah said health professionals were working hard to control the situation.

Referring to a donation made earlier to the hospital, he said the theatre gowns donated had come at the right time for personnel of the hospital as they would help prevent infections and the spread of disease.