Cholera 'swallows' Accra

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A cholera patient receiving treatment at the Cholera Unit of the La General Hospital. Pix by Eric Owiredu (left), Parliamentary Select Committee visits cholera patients at the La General Hospital on Monday.Pix by Eric Owiredu. (right)

Current statistical data on the cholera outbreak in the Greater Accra Region indicates that 4,190 cases had been recorded, with 36 deaths.

The breakdown shows the Accra Metropolis is leading with 3,207 cholera cases and 33 deaths, while the Ga East district comes second with 473 reported cases and one death. Others include Ga South, with 119 cases and one death; Ga West, 253 cases and one death.

Adentan, Ledzorkuku Krowor and Tema, recorded 38, 62 and 28 cases respectively, with no deaths.

Furthermore, the Dangbe West district had 6 cases, followed by Ashaiman with three cases, while the Dangbe East district, recorded only one case.

This became known when The Chronicle visited some selected hospitals in Accra to find out the state of the epidemic. According to Dr. Irene Agyepong Amarteyfio of the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate, her outfit had requested the various facilities in the districts to check their summaries, in order to produce the final report.

The Acting Metro Director of Health Services, Dr. George Mensah, disclosed to The Chronicle that just two days ago, the Adabraka Polyclinic's infirmary cholera record was approaching about 3,008 cases, a number which spans January to date.

He explained further that the outbreak had become severe, because of the way and manner people disposed off faeces in the environment.

Cholera, he said, was a disease contracted through faeces, and thus, people should learn to wash their hands after visiting the toilets, apply good sanitation in their environments, and observe personal hygiene. Dr. Mensah urged the public to, as well, eat food while hot.

Also at the La General Hospital on Monday, cholera figures were up to 357 in the first quarter of 2011. Out of the 357 cases, January documented 49, with February recording 147, and in this month of March alone, the number has increased to 161 cases.

Samples taken from 19 cholera patients revealed five of them tested positive, with two deaths. The case of fatality is 0.56 per cent.

The La General Hospital is currently treating cholera patients from 50 areas within the Accra metropolis, including cases from Cape Coast and Kasoa. The La community leads the chart with 153 reported cases, followed by Nungua with 46, Osu, 41, and Teshie 33, as at the time of filing this report on Monday.

It was revealed by the Medical Superintendent of the infirmary, Dr. Patrick Frimpong, that Legon, Accra Central, Kibi, Fadama, Adentan, Ofankor, Kaneshie, Oblogo, Madina, Dzorwulu, Lashibi, Tabora, Tesano and Ayigbe Town, however, recorded minimal cases.

Others are Ako Adjei, Alajo, Ashalley Botwe, Tema, Airport, Awoshie, Nyaniba, Cantonments, Nima, Cape Coast, Circle, Kanda, Maamobi, Kokomlemle, Kotobabi, Spintex, La-Aborme, Mobile Force, South La, Kantamanto, James Town, Labone, Trade Fair, Ashongman, Achimota, Russia, Weija, Manet Court, Dansoman and Caprice.

Coincidentally, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, led by its Chairman, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, also visited the hospital to ascertain how the management was going about the handling of the epidemic.

Other members of the committee were Wisdom Gidisu, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, Stephen Amuanor Kwao, Joseph Akati Saaka, Dr. Matthew Prempeh, Ben Banda Abdallah, and Collins Augustine Ntim.

Dr. Frimpong told the committee members that even before the outbreak, the hospital had been informed of a possible outbreak by the Regional Health Service, and so they had taken adequate measures to contain the situation.

According to him, the frequent loss of water in the body was what facilitates the death of some patients who reported to the hospital late. He hinted, however, that those affected were isolated at a cholera unit, where they receive treatment.

Currently, the La General Hospital has seven beds being used to treat critical cholera cases at the unit.

On his part, Mr. Mubarak Muntaka called for compulsory washing of hands before leaving the various hospitals and clinics, noting that this was to check and manage the spread of the disease.

To him, the Ministry of Health should provide additional resources to the health facilities, and gave the assurance that the committee would deliberate the issue in Parliament, for the government to intervene.

Also, the Senior Health Service Administrator at the La General Hospital, Adam Hardi, told this reporter that unclean environments, contact with affected persons, coupled with infected water sources, constitute the transmission of cholera.

He said they had adapted a dawn to dusk outreach programme, aimed at educating the people on how to keep their environments tidy, and wash their hands thoroughly.

Mr. Hardi noted that if the people were provided with good drinking water, and they clear all choked gutters, then they would be able to defeat the epidemic entirely.

Last Saturday, Dr. Philip Amamoo, Head of Public Health at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, spoke on the TV3 network, saying, as at Friday evening to Saturday noon, cholera figures stood at 23, and the facility had recorded a total of 903 cholera cases since January 19, this year, with 21 deaths.