Ms. Faustina Blewusi, the Ada East District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has urged students in the Ada East District to maintain good hygiene practices to curb the spread of cholera and diarrhoea cases.

Ms. Blewusi gave the advice during an inter-school debate competition organized by the NCCE in the Ada East District to combat violence in the December 7 election.

Ms. Blewusi, publicly known as Mama Megbenya II, educated the students on the outbreak of cholera in Ada and disclosed how embarrassed she felt after visiting a church one Sunday morning, only to see people engaging in open defecation.

“When I resumed office last year, I went to one of the coastal communities to educate them on sanitation. Upon arrival, I was welcomed with open defecation,” she said.

The Director tasked the students with contributing to the elimination of open defecation, which was a canker in Ada, saying the fight would go a long way in ending cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks in the district.

She entreated the students to spread the message of good sanitation practices to their peers, parents, and the community at large, noting that this way, the students could be ambassadors of a good environment.

She educated the students on proper handwashing under running water with soap to avoid contamination, urging them to also keep their surroundings tidy and report to the nearest hospital when experiencing symptoms of diarrhoea.

She disclosed that treatment of diarrhoea and cholera cases at the hospital is free, stating that “the Ghana Health Service provides free treatment for cholera and diarrhoea, so do not hesitate to report early symptoms to the nearest health facility.”