United States partners gov’t to combat cholera

The United States (U.S) Government through the Agency for International Development (USAID), is supporting the Government of Ghana’s efforts to improve access to treated drinking water at the community and household levels in urban and rural communities, as part of measures to reduce vulnerability to cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.

A press statement signed by Mrs Joyce Asiedu of the Public Affairs section of the U.S Embassy in Accra and copied to the GNA on Monday, said the US Government is committed to strengthening the Ghanaian healthcare system to prevent and contain future outbreaks of cholera, as well as offer treatment to those affected by the disease.

To this end, USAID donated 768,000 tablets of Aquatabs which will purify over 15 million litres of water, to the Ghana Health Service for distribution through health facilities including Community Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in the "hot spots" of the cholera epidemic in the affected regions.

“This support demonstrates the U.S. Government's continuous collaboration and support of the Government of Ghana and their objectives in the area of health, nutrition, water, and sanitation”, said the statement.

As of September 21, 2014, Ghana’s Ministry of Health has reported 16,613 cumulative cases of cholera and 130 deaths from 9 of the country’s 10 regions.

Additional areas of US support include supporting cholera prevention and treatment efforts through social marketing and distribution of drinking water purification products, oral rehydration salts, and soap for washing hands and household items; and improving access to clean water in communities by providing support to drill new wells, rehabilitate broken wells; and promoting safe household water practices and the campaign on "Open Defecation Free" (ODF) through facilitation for the construction of sanitation facilities.

Others comprise supporting treatment for cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases at both public and private health facilities nationwide at the height of the epidemic; providing training for over 240 community health workers and volunteers who are deployed in 8 regions where they promote community water system operations, disinfection and distribution of Aquatabs; and developing cholera education materials to train more than 240 community health workers and volunteers to conduct outreach activities on cholera prevention and treatment.

The rest of the interventions are: working side-by-side with the Ministry of Health, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and other partners to establish a national system for tracking cases of cholera, responding to cholera outbreaks, and routinely testing suspected cases of cholera at the National Public Health Laboratory; and providing technical assistance and support to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and MMDAs to improve their capacity to provide clean water, sanitation, and improved hygiene.