The Western regional health service says it has put the region “on high alert” for any case of cholera in the region.
Over 500 cases of cholera have so far been recorded in Accra alone since June, leading to 15 deaths in the capital.
The Public Health Directorate of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) had earlier warned that the outbreak of cholera in the metropolis was gradually reaching an epidemic status.
However, the Western Regional health director, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, told Citi News that even though the region has not recorded any case, all the health facilities have been resourced to tackle cholera, should there be an outbreak.
Dr. Tenkorang revealed that the hospitals had been told to test patients, who come in with cases of diarrhoea and other communicable diseases, for cholera.
He insisted that the hospitals in the region “have the logistics and the drugs to manage” any cases of cholera that might be recorded.
Whilst assuring the populace about their preparedness, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang bemoaned the poor sanitation conditions in the Sekondi Metropolis.
According to Dr. Tenkorang, “the most important right now is to educate the public on the importance of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.”
“We need to intensify our environmental sanitation.
“That’s one of our major headaches in the region,… the sanitation is very poor,” he said.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana