Cholera alert!!!

Cases of Cholera have been reported in Cape-Coast and Tema and all medical facilities are on alert.

We get Cholera through ingestion (eating/drinking) of contaminated food or water.

We recommend that we all adopt the following measures IMMEDIATELY:

• Hygiene, in particular:

o Washing hands thoroughly with soap and clean water before touching food or water and after using the toilet.

o Eating warm food. Avoid food prepared in ‘suspicious’ surroundings

o Taking extreme caution when preparing food - especially seafood, vegetables and fruits

o Desisting from communal eating and sharing of cups, plates, etc.

o Ensuring that food vendors cover their products appropriately, and encouraging them to undergo their routine health screening.**

• Proper refuse disposal. For instance:

o All refuse should be well covered

o Indiscriminate defecation should be avoided (can you imagine how faeces may leak into burst pipelines?)

• Provision of potable drinking water

o All water storage containers should be tightly covered

o Drinking water should be boiled and filtered (boiled, at least), and allowed to cool before drinking or drink bottled or sachet water from reliable sources.

We all have a role to play in preventing outbreaks of cholera. Let us ensure personal and environmental hygiene; encourage others to do the same; and task the appropriate authorities to provide the necessary services.

** We highly recommend that everyone eats from a trustworthy source.

Dr Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/ St Andrews Clinic

01/11/2016