Accra, Sept. 25, GNA - Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Thursday cautioned the general public of a cholera outbreak in the Accra metropolis. In a statement issued in Accra by Dr. Irene Agyepong, Regional Director of Health Service, the GHS advised the public not to panic when struck by the disease but rather quickly attend the nearest health centre for free treatment, take in plenty of water or Oral Re-hydrated Salt to control it.

It said preventive measures were to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, wash hands with soap, cover food and water to keep flies away, eat food while hot, avoid buying cooked food which is cold and exposed to dust and flies, and wash hands with soap and water before eating and after using the toilet.

"Cholera kills but we can prevent it from occurring," she said. She urged the communities to ask their assemblies for more public toilets with hand washing facilities and also to build their own latrines that were properly protected from flies. Cholera is a disease caused by small germs, which can spread, from one person to the other, through the shaking or touching the hands or body of an infected person.