300 New Cholera Cases Recorded

OVER 300 cases of cholera have been reported in the Greater Accra and Volta regions of the country within the first two weeks of 2015.

Over 41 percent of the new cases were reported in the Accra Metropolis, while the cases in the Volta Region were from the Wli community in the Hohoe community.

Strangely, these cases were recorded at the time when the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing claimed that water supply in Accra has dramatically increased and at a moment when the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has initiated a monthly nationwide clean-up exercise.

However, the new cholera cases totalling 304 at the beginning of the year is yet to record any deaths.

The cholera outbreak ravaged the country last year, starting from June, killing over 200 people across the country with Accra recoding highest casualties.

Last year's outbreak lingers on into 2015 with over 29,243 cases recorded as of January 16, 2015.

Out of the number of cases recorded, 243 have died of the disease that has caused fatality of 0.8 in 180 districts out of 216 districts in the country.

The other regions of the country have not recorded any case from the beginning of the year and therefore the outbreak can be declared over in these regions.

This was contained in a press statement by the Public Health Specialist at the Disease Surveillance Department of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Emmanuel Dzotsi.

He said six out of 23 stool samples representing 30 percent from the Greater Accra Region tested at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory confirmed positive for vibrio cholerae (ogawa); a figure that suggests the cholera outbreak is still ongoing in the Greater Accra Region.

Dr Dzotsi called on the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to ensure supply of safe water to affected communities without water.

He also suggested the continuation of mass community education and social mobilisation with announcement on cholera prevention in the affected areas.

The public health specialist also urged the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to ensure that food and water vendors provide hygienic food and water to the public.

He also appealed to the Ministry of Local Government and the FDA to enforce by-laws on environmental sanitation, water and food safety.

 By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri