Cholera epidemic: 22,000 cases recorded, 170 dead

The festering cholera epidemic has now affected more than 22,000 people in all the ten regions of Ghana.

At least 170 of those affected have died in different parts of the country.

Public health officials at the Ghana Health Service have described the epidemic as the worst ever in more than three decades.

It is feared the numbers could soar further.

The diarrhoeal disease has taken a toll on residents in the national capital, Accra, especially, due to bad sanitation practices in coastal towns and slums.

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine caused by the ingestion of faecal matter, which may have found its way into food through insanitary conditions.

Its symptoms include severe diarrhoea and vomiting, which result in dehydration.