Gov�t To Ban Food Vendors

Government is to ban on food vending in the Accra, as a measure to control the cholera epidemic which has hit the metropolis. The move, initiated by Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, is to ensure that food vendors conform to the regulations on the sale of food to the public. The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Appiah Denkyira, said the measure has become necessary, because the health authorities have observed that most of the cholera patients contract the disease from the foods they eat outside their homes. In an interview with The Ghanaian Times yesterday, the Director-General believed that the ban would compel the vendors to strictly adhere to the food vending rules. �Although government is considering placing a ban on food vending, only those who have ignored the norms would be dealt with,� he explained. He described Agbogbloshie, Odawna (Kwame Nkrumah Circle) and the Abuja slum in Accra, as cholera-prone areas, which are being monitored. Dr. Denkyira, emphasized it was improper for people to carry cooked food from one place to other for sale. He cautioned the public to observe personal hygiene, eat food hot, and drink clean water, warning �Nobody should buy food from outside�. The cholera death toll in the Greater Accra Region increased from 60 to 85, within just a week. Besides that, the 7,436 cases recorded last two weeks, shot up to 9,820 as at last Friday, which presents an attack rate of 2.2 percent per 1,000 of the disease infections in the region.