Joselyn Dumas Embarks On Cholera Awareness Campaign

Ghanaian television host and actress, Joselyn Dumas has taking the first step as Ghana�s celebrity in creating awareness of cholera outbreak due to the current insanitary conditions in the capital coupled with the onset of the rains. The campaign which is on-going via social networks has been dubbed #Xcholera #KeepcleanGH. �I will rather starve than to eat contaminated food� she captioned in her campaign pictures. Though many have applauded Joselyn�s idea to create the awareness, some also believe her attempt is to respond to recent Ghanaians celebrities �Ice Bucket Challenge� bombardment from the public. Cholera is an acute diarrhoea illness caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholera that can result in a profound and rapidly progressive dehydration and death. Ingestion of water and food contaminated by infected human feces is the common means of acquiring the disease. The main symptoms are profuse painless watery diarrhoea without fever and (often) with vomiting of clear fluid. These symptoms usually start suddenly, one to five days after ingestion of the bacteria. The diarrhoea is frequently described as �rice water� in nature and may have a fishy odour or somewhat sweet inoffensive odour. An untreated person with cholera may produce 10-20 litres of diarrhoea a day with fatal results. If the severe diarrhoea and vomiting are not aggressively treated it can, within hours, result in life-threatening dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.