Cholera outbreak in KEEA District

Elmina, Jan. 14, GNA - Seventy-three cholera cases, including one death has been reported in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem district of the Central Region.

Communities like Ampeneyi and Kissi are the hardest hit. Dr Ofori Yeboah, District Director of Health Services, who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Friday in Elmina said the index cases were detected on December 25 last year. He attributed the situation to lack of potable water in the affected communities, especially in Ampeneyi where about 70 per cent of the cases are coming from.

According to him, the area has a chronic water problem and the people resort to the use of water from a heavily polluted pond in the centre of the town resulting to the outbreak of the disease. Dr. Yeboah said the situation was however stabilising and advised the public to promptly send all diarrhoea cases to the nearest health facility and also endeavour to improve upon their personal and environmental hygiene.

He further advised them to boil all water from ponds and wells before drinking and tasked food vendors to cover their food properly to avoid contamination.

Dr. Yeboah thanked the District Assembly and the Regional Health Directorate for responding promptly by providing the district with the needed logistics for the management of the cholera cases. Mr. Kweku Akpotosu, District Coordinating Director, expressed concern about the outbreak of the disease and said the assembly has started enforcing all its by-laws on sanitation. He said it has also started confisticating food items being sold under unhygienic conditions and also urged food vendors to improve on their personal hygiene.

He said the assembly in collaboration with the Ghana Water Company has started providing the affected communities with tanker services and that work is almost complete in the laying of pipe to supply water to Ampeneyi township and its surrounding areas.