Cholera outbreak: No cause for alarm — GHS

STORY: GIFTY CLARKE AMOAH
Ghana Health Services (GHS) has stressed the need for all stake holders to help government intensify education on cholera, which is now prevalent in most urban areas.
Speaking at a public forum in Accra on Wednesday, the Director of Public Health Services, Dr. E.K. Dzotsi, outlined possible measures, which could be adopted to reduce the spread of the disease in the country.
He disclosed that the outbreak of the disease in the country began in mid-September 2010 in the Awutu-Senya District of the Central region and spread to some parts of the Eastern and Greater Accra regions.
Dr. Dzotsi cited torrential downpours and widespread floods across the country as major causes of the protracted outbreak during the period.
“The main factors which have contributed heavily to the spread of cholera in the country in recent times are the continuous heavy rains and our failure to clean our trenches after these rains, coupled with the poor environmental sanitation.
… And in this regard, I am sure that every Ghanaian will bear with me that all of us have failed to clean our gutters and surroundings properly,” he advised.
On his part, Dr. Edward Antwi, a director at the GHS, attributed the widespread of the disease to the lack of education on its causes, symptoms and prevention.
According to him, Ghana can only make headway in the eradication of the disease if prudent measures are taken to educate the masses, especially people living in remote areas.
It was in this direction that he disclosed that his outfit was collaborating with other relevant agencies including the National Association of Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Information Service Department (ISD) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to help disseminate information on the disease across the country.