The Greater Accra Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has sounded the alarm. Cholera is here with us again!
The directorate announced a confirmed case of cholera in the national capital, Accra, and advised any person who had loose watery stools and was vomiting to quickly report at the nearest hospital or clinic for treatment.
The Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Irene Agyepong, has emphasised that the treatment of cholera is free in government health facilities throughout the country, adding that all government hospitals in the Greater Accra Region are well resourced to handle cholera cases.
Cholera is a seasonal disease which occurs every year, usually during the rainy season. It is usually transmitted through faeces, contaminated water or food.
It is no wonder, therefore, that there is an outbreak at this time of the year.
According to the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Elias Kavinah Sory, outbreaks occur particularly when there is a break in the rainy season as the country has experienced this year. When this happens, he pointed out, the rains collect all the dirt that the earlier floods generated and contaminate the water bodies.
The disease is characterised in its most severe form, by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death because of severe dehydration and kidney failure.
Human behaviours, particularly lack of personal hygiene and insanitary food preparation, contribute greatly to the occurrence and severity of outbreaks. Personal hygiene is key to prevention, as no matter one’s level of education, knowledge or social status, he can be infected.
Therefore, we echo the advice of health professionals that the public should avoid food sold near choked drains and refuse dumps and even be sure of the restaurants they eat from. Preferably, the public is advised to eat from their homes. When not sure, we must boil our drinking water.
Other ways to prevent the disease are eating food while it is hot or warm, disposing of toilet and other waste properly and avoiding buying cooked food which is cold and exposed to dust and flies.
These measures — coupled with systematic hand washing with soap and water before eating and after visiting the toilet, washing of fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating as well as covering food and water to keep flies away — are sure ways to prevent cholera.
The Daily Graphic calls on members of the public to heed the advice of the GHS so that we can nip the outbreak in the bud. But the ultimate depends on the actions of the district assemblies, communities and individuals to put environmental sanitation at the top of their agenda to prevent any more cases.
We are convinced that if people abide by basic hygiene such as keeping their homes and surroundings clean, we will keep cholera at bay.
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