Eight new cases of cholera have been reported in three districts in the Greater Accra Region.
Four of the cases were reported from Adabraka Down near Circle, one of the areas hit by the recent flooding of the capital and one from Ablekuma Sub metro in the Accra Metropolis.
The other two cases were reported from La Nkwantanang Municipality. No death has, however, been recorded.
This brings the total number of cholera cases as at June 13, 2015 to 601 cases with five deaths.
The cases countrywide were reported from 31 districts in eight regions with a case fatality rate of 0.8 percent.
The country had prior to the Wednesday heavy rainfall that occurred in Accra experienced weeks of no cholera reported cases. Cholera cases had declined significantly to zero before the rains set in.
Dr Emmanuel K. Dzotsi, Public Health Specialist at the Disease Surveillance Department of the Ghana Health Service, mentioned that although the 2014 cholera outbreak has not been declared over yet, the case incidence has declined significantly.
He, however, mentioned that during June 8 to 13, 2015, there has been an upsurge of cases reported in the country from zero case in the two previous weeks to eight cases with no death.
Dr Dzotsi attributed the upsurge to the massive flooding in Accra Metropolis that happened on June 3, 2015.
"The onset of the rains with associated flooding has precipitated an upsurge of the cases in the Greater Accra Region," he said.
The public health specialist further added that the possibility of the cholera outbreak to continue and further spread was high, considering the continuous existence of risk factors like floods, inadequate supply of safe water, street vending of water and food, poor liquid and solid waste disposal and choked drains, urban slums and poor food and personal hygiene.
Recommendations
Dr Dzotsi nonetheless outlined plans aimed at containing reported cases and preventing new cases from occurring.
He said there was the urgent need to rehabilitate broken down cholera treatment centres in the Greater Accra Region to ensure proper and effective management of cases, calling for the continuation of mass community education and social mobilisation with announcements on cholera prevention in the affected areas.
The health specialist also asked the public to maintain high environmental sanitation by drinking of safe/treated water, avoid drinking of street vended sachet water, avoid eating street vended foods, prepare and eat food under hygienic conditions, avoid defecating in the open, use toilet facilities, wash hands with soap and water after using toilet and before meals.
"Community members with diarrhoea should start taking ORS and immediately report to the nearest health facility for immediate treatment. Cholera treatment is free of charge," he said.
-Source: Daily Guide