Stakeholders in the health sector are urging the general public to follow strict sanitary practices as the rainy season approaches amidst an ongoing cholera outbreak to avert an escalation of cases.
The continuous surge in cholera cases in the country has prompted the need for stakeholders to dialogue on sustained solutions.
Since the outbreak of cholera in the country, there have been 598 confirmed cases and 49 deaths recorded out of 6,775 suspected cases.
Although there has been a significant decline in cases across the country, stakeholders are concerned that the focus has been on the numbers instead of tackling the root cause, which is poor sanitation.
The concerns were expressed at a three-day dialogue series held by Ghana Health Service and its stakeholders from March 10 to 12, 2025.
They discussed sustainable solutions for addressing the cholera crisis using a ‘one health’ approach which will be implemented in due cause.
Director for Health Promotion Division at the Ghana Health Service, Mabel Kissiwa Asafo, at a dialogue series with stakeholders, said her outfit has been working with other stakeholders to ensure a reduction in spread.
“Health Promotion Division, we’ve tried to engage with people to provide health education as to what cholera is, the mode of transmission and the preventive measures. We have done that through various channels, community information centres, radio and the TV,” she stated.
However, she was concerned about the upcoming rainy season, which she fears may worsen the situation. “I think we should be alarmed and make sure that whatever we are doing, we actually intensify it. We were surprised that even when the rains had not started, we are experiencing these numbers, and so as the rains are coming, we need to intensify our approaches.”
The MMDAs have undoubtedly been at the receiving end of unsanitary conditions in disease-prone areas. Metro Public Health Director at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Florence Kuukyi, emphasised that the key issue is behavioural change.
“The important thing is behaviour change. Sometimes the facilities are there, but it is just cultural behaviour, and people don’t want to access the facilities. Someone living at the coastal side would always want to go to the beach to defecate and dispose of their refuse, because when they send it there, the water will come and take it away, and that is not the best way to do it,” she stressed.
She also mentioned that the assembly is committed to enforcing the by-laws and introducing new initiatives to manage the situation.
“There’s even this program that is going on in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly that is called the GARIT, the Greater Accra Resilient Program, and with that hot spots have been identified. We need to map out our hot spots during this rainy season, areas that are going to be affected,” she explained.
Source:
3news.com
Source link
