The Ministry of Health (MoH) has said no death has so far been recorded in the cholera outbreak in the Central regional capital, Cape Coast.
According to the Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Badu Sarkodie, although some 157 cases have been recorded so far in the region, no life has been lost.
Announcing measures being taken to address the outbreak at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, November 2, Dr Sarkodie urged the media to partner the Health Ministry to intensify public education on cholera prevention.
“As of 1 November, a total of 157 cases have been reported with no death. I wish to repeat this, there is no death and I think at this juncture I wish to commend the region for having done so well. Cholera treatment has been established accordingly in the affected communities, but we are still saying that the population continues to be still at risk and for that matter, there is the need to intensify whatever we are doing and also share with you treatment so you can help with public education,” he stated.
He added that a number of measures had been instituted by the ministry and its agencies to help deal with the situation.
According to him, “The Public Health Emergency Management Committee within the region and metropolis have been duly activated to initiate rapid response. Rapid response teams at national level have been deployed to support the region in the response action. The required logistics and funding support base have been sent to the region and districts to facilitate the process. The National Technical Coordinating Committee (NTCC) at the national level has met and has come out with a clear guide, which will be an effective procedure for the management and containment of this outbreak.”
He continued: “We have to undertake effective public education, which has started and is ongoing. We have to enhance surveillance, which has started and is ongoing. Appropriate case management which includes protection, prevention, and management control, has been started and is being intensified day in and out,” adding: “Water, sanitation and hygiene interventions have been started and this has been found to be very effective in the containment of cholera. We follow up every day to the communities to disinfect all soiled materials, we conduct education for the close families [of those infected] and household members and go to nearby schools to provide public education for them to be in the know and to put on best practices for the containment against cholera…”
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