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The Communications Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Robert Coleman, has warned of a possible cholera epidemic in Accra if citizens do not adhere to good sanitary practices. �Information emanating from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) clearly indicates that cholera deaths are on the rise and some hospitals have now turned their Outpatients Departments (OPDs) into emerging centres to attend to only cholera patients,� he said. Mr Coleman, who was speaking to the Daily Graphic on measures to clear the city of filth, which is one of the major causes of the disease, said it was unforgivable for some citizens to still defecate into open drains and waste bins, link their cesspits to the drains, among other shameful practices, in the wake of massive efforts to rid the city of filth. �Some Ghanaians still engage in despicable acts, despite the numerous educational programmes the company is putting up to draw the citizenry�s attention to the health dangers that such practices pose to them and the country,� he said. He said those activities were the cause of the current outbreak of the disease, since the cholera germ was found in the faeces of infected persons which was spread by houseflies when they got into contact with drinking water, food, among other things. Mr Coleman said the country would continue to live in a state of fear if the citizens did not imbibe the habit of keeping their environment clean at all times. Don�t blame the government He said it was unfair to put the blame for the outbreak of cholera on the doorstep of the government, saying, �We are quick to always play the blame game when we are the cause of our problems.� He said it was high time Ghanaians took the blame for their woes and took measures to address them, instead of pushing it on the authorities, adding that the recent deaths recorded in some hospitals in the city and the number of patients on admission due to cholera were a cause for worry. About cholera Sharing some insights into the cholera disease, Mr Coleman said cholera was caused by a bacterium called vibrio cholera that could stay in a housefly for 14 days. �Also, when a person who is afflicted by the disease vomits or goes to toilet, he or she passes out large numbers of cholera germs,� he said. He added that the disease could be prevented by washing hands and practising personal hygiene, since the disease spread through the hands, clothes, cooking utensils, among other items. He was quick to add that the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) must, as a matter of emergency, enforce sanitation bye-laws. The way forward On the way forward, Mr Coleman hinted that Zoomlion would soon roll out a massive behavioural change programme targeted at changing attitudes and also making the public aware of the cholera disease as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR). The programme, which would be in partnership with the MMDAs, the School of Hygiene, doctors, among other key stakeholders, would involve people going to the lorry stations and market centres to educate the public on cholera prevention and treatment methods, personal hygiene and proper waste disposal methods. Reports from health institutions in the Greater Accra Region say from the end of June to July 30, this year, about 1,000 cases of cholera were reported to health facilities in the Greater Accra Region, out of which 16 people died.