Health News of Thursday, 2 July 2015

Source: Daily Guide

Local Government ministry fights cholera outbreak

Alhaji Collins Dauda Alhaji Collins Dauda

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is putting measures in place to mitigate any possible outbreak of cholera within the Accra Metropolis.

This action follows the recent floods that ravaged the capital city and the demolition of structures at Sodom and Gomorrah by the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA), which the ministry believes are events whose after-effects could trigger cholera outbreak.

Alhaji Collins Dauda said this during a media briefing held at the conference room of the MLGRD late last week.

Some cases of cholera have been recorded in the capital and other parts of the country following recent floods.

Alhaji Collins Dauda and Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation visited Sodom and Gomorrah (Old Fadama) to access the situation after the demolition exercise.

He pointed out that a lot of pressure had mounted on essential services such as water, electricity and toilet facilities in the affected areas, adding that “the situation is even not the best in Sodom and Gomorrah where affected persons have relocated into nearby structures within the same area.”

The minister averred that the relocated persons no doubt depended on the few toilet facilities available to them and in distressed situations; they eased themselves at any available space.

Alhaji Dauda mentioned that the MLGRD has been in negotiations with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Ghana Water Company (GWCL) and other institutions to help restore essential services to the affected areas, namely Circle, Adabraka and Sodom and Gomorrah.

He announced that mobile toilets would also be placed at vantage points for the people.

Alhaji Collins Dauda on behalf of the ministry donated 100 bags of rice some and mattresses, 20 bags of sugar, five cartons each of bar soap and gallons of oil to the victims.