GHS records 9 cholera cases in G/A

 A total of nine cases of chol­era have been confirmed in the Ada West and Ada East districts in the Greater Accra Region, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced.

The cases were confirmed by the GHS in a press statement issued and signed by the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, in Accra yesterday.

It said the first case was confirmed on October 4, 2024, when one person reported to a health facility in the Ada West District with vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pains cou­ple of days after attending a funeral in Ada East.

Subsequently, the Ada East district, the statement indicated, reported confirmed cases of cholera outbreaks after the first case was confirmed on October 4, 2024.

“The Ghana Health Service con­firmed a case of cholera in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region on October 4, 2024.

“The person presented to the health facility with vomiting, diar­rhoea, and abdominal pains a couple of days after attending a funeral in Ada East.

“Subsequently, Ada East District also reported confirmed cases of cholera,” the statement said.

“As of October 11, nine cholera cases had been confirmed in both districts (Ada West and Ada East),” the statement added.

The GHS, in response to the cases confirmed, had activated a joint multi-sectoral Public Health Emer­gency Rapid Response Team (PHER­RT) from the national, regional and district levels.

Others were representatives from the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Ghana Educa­tion Service (GES), National Disaster Management Organisation (NAD­MO), and Environmental Health Units from the two affected districts.

In addition, a Public Health Emergency Management Committees (PHEMCs) at all levels had also been activated, while contact identification, tracing, and follow-ups as well as an outbreak investigation and environ­mental assessment were ongoing.

Other measures instituted by the GHS to mitigate the spread of the confirmed cases were the enforce­ment of strict infection prevention and control practices at all health facilities, conduct of active daily community search for cases, and the sensitisation of health workers in the affected areas on case definitions for cholera, sample, and case manage­ment.

The rest were the establishment of a cholera oral re-hydration for cases with mild symptoms, intensified public education on cholera, moni­toring of rumour and management of misinformation and disinforma­tion, an assessment and distribution of potable water and environmental sanitation, and water sampling for microbiology and culture from all affected districts.

The Ministry of Health and the GHS, in collaboration, with its relevant sectors and partners have as­sured the public of its continued ef­forts to detect and respond promptly to public emergencies.

Ghana’s highest outbreak of chol­era was in 2017 when over 24,000 cases were recorded nationwide.

Between 2020 and 2023, 10 cases have been recorded reflecting a decline in cholera cases due to good hygiene practices like hand wash­ing occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 BY TIMES REPORTER

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