Health News of Thursday, 15 November 2012

Source: GNA

Cholera outbreak up at Tarkwa Nsueam

The Tarkwa Government Hospital has recorded an increasing number of cholera cases from certain parts of the Tarkwa Nsueam Assembly.

No death has been recorded yet. Victims who normally visit the hospital for treatment on the outbreak come mainly from areas such as Akyempim, Old Town, Cyanide, Bankyim, Nkamponase and Esuoso.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency on the current situation of the epidemic on Wednesday, the Municipal Disease Control Officer, Mr. Ebenezer Tetteh said a total of 140 cases had been recorded since the disease was detected two weeks ago.

He said his outfit was putting up the necessary measures to contain the outbreak and cited poor sanitation in the constituency as the major contributory factor.

Mr. Tetteh said to curb the situation, which had become a yearly affair, the Assembly and the environmental department should create an appropriate dumping site for refuse to be properly disposed.

The Municipal Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Christiana Babbie Annan Nunoo, announced that to support the Municipal Health Directorate in fighting the menace, the Assembly had set up a task force to carry out inspections at public places in the Municipality.

The task force is made up of assembly members from the affected communities, municipal guards, representatives from the health directorate, environmental department and Tarkwa Nsueam assembly.

They will visit factories of water producers, food vendors and dumping sites to access the sanitation condition.