C/R records four new cholera cases

With barely two months into the new year, the Central Region has begun recording new cases of cholera outbreaks, the Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has disclosed.

According to the GHS, though some severe diarrhoea cases reported to the hospitals earlier turned to be negative, the Cape Coast Metropolis recorded three confirmed cases last week, with one case from the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality.

Dr. Kwaku Karikari, the Deputy Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, who disclosed this on Thursday when he briefed the Regional Coordinating Council, described the situation as very disturbing.

He said, last year, the Central Region recorded a total of 4,271 reported cases of cholera in 16 districts, with 57 deaths, adding that the Cape Coast Metropolis was the worst affected area, recording 2,182 cases and 20 deaths.

There was no outbreak of the disease in the Assin North, Assin South, Ekumfi and Upper Denkyira West districts, but Agona West and Awutu Senya East districts were badly affected.

Mr. Karikari noted that despite the numerous awareness created through education by the Service, major risk factors such as poor hand washing habits, poor toilet practices, and open defecation among others, still existed in the Region.

He affirmed that the GHS would intensify its public education on environmental, personal and food hygiene, infections prevention, as well as control practices.

He urged the various Assemblies to take the lead in mobilizing the various sectors of government and traditional authorities for the removal of the risk factors, instead of “always chasing the disease, without the resource for this approach”.

Mr. Karikari expressed worry about the doctor situation in the Region, as the annual trend of very low proportion of doctors posted to the Region still persisted, and proposed that a new central system be put in place to check the posting of doctors.

The Central Regional Minister, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, expressed dissatisfaction at the poor participation in the National Sanitation Day Programme by the people in the Region, despite huge financial commitment by the Government.

He noted that sanitation issues still continued to worsen and undermine the efforts of the Assemblies in the region, to maintain clean environment, the situation he described as attitudinal.

He, therefore, urged MMDAs to engage the chiefs and other stakeholders, to lead the crusade to ensure that the exercise got the needed participation to reduce the increasing number of diseases in the Region.