Accra (Greater Accra) 25 Jan. '99

The epidemic sub-committee of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) held an emergency meeting at the weekend to address the recent outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country. The meeting was as a result of the number of suspected cases reported at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and other health institutions in the country since August, last year. Professor Francis Nkrumah, chairman of the sub-committee, said the committee will take steps to deal with the situation. ''We need close monitoring to ascertain the spread and trend of the disease but more resources need to be committed to sanitation in the city since everything in that sector has broken down.'' Prof. Nkrumah urged the public to help keep the city clean to avoid the outbreak of epidemics. Mr. Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator of NADMO, recommended an intersectoral meeting of all ministries, departments and agencies involved in environmental sanitation to address the chronic problem of cholera. He said public health education should be intensified in the metropolis, with special emphasis on affected areas.