Ghana has recorded two deaths from cholera, days after an outbreak was confirmed by the country’s lead health agency – Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The deaths were recorded in the Ada East and Ada West districts which are epicenters of the current outbreak. Meanwhile, there are over 40 people still receiving treatment.
The Director of Public Health at GHS, Dr. Frank Bekoe in an interview said: “we have 37 confirmed cases from Ada East, and then six confirmed cases in Ada West. For us, we are looking at mortalities.
“I think that since the outbreak started, we have had two mortalities. And what we are doing is that we are trying to make sure that we identify the cases quite early and identify the contacts and follow them up and that is what we have been doing in our circumstances,” he emphasized.
Cholera is a diarrhoeal disease caused by a germ mostly found in faeces and it spreads when a person drinks water or eats food that is contaminated with the cholera germ.
GHS has stated that it is actively monitoring the situation as well as taking strict steps to arrest any spread beyond the two districts.
The Symptoms and signs of cholera include:
- Onset of cholera is sudden
- Diarrhoea, which is profuse, painless and watery
- Vomiting may occur
- Patients are thirsty, tired and weak
- Loss of body fluid occurs rapidly and that may lead to death
Protect yourself from getting cholera by observing the following:
- Wash your hands with soap under safe running water before eating, cooking or after visiting the toilet
- Drink safe water
- Eat hot food and avoid cold food
- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating
- Food handlers should wash their cups, plates and cutlery sets with soap and safe water regularly before use
- Food handlers should cover food for sale.
- People with acute diarrhea should start drinking ORS and immediately visit the nearest health facility
By: GhanaFact
