Fifty trained to help control cholera in KEEA district

Elmina, Feb.01, GNA-The Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) district health administration on Wednesday trained 50 volunteers from five communities in the district which were affected by an outbreak of cholera about a month ago, to complement its efforts in managing the epidemic.

The volunteers, who came from the affected communities including Bantama, Ampenyi, Brenu-Akyinmu, Asaaman and Ayensudo, received training to enable them to mount a house-to-house and schools education campaign on the causes and prevention of the epidemic to avoid future occurrences.

Officials of the Central Regional secretariat of the Ghana Red Cross Society, who served as the resource persons at the workshop, also taught them report writing.

In an address, Ms Admire Owusu the district disease control officer said the first four cases broke out on December 25, 2005 and that as at

January 20 this year, 95 cases had been reported with two deaths, and this alarmed the district health administration and the assembly, to evolve measures to control it.

These included mounting of health education in the communities and on radio and collaborating with the district environmental unit to check insanitary conditions in the affected communities. She announced that the epidemic had been brought under control. Mr Afesi Agama, the district nutrition officer, cautioned food vendors against the unhygienic handling of food, and announced that the assembly had provided polytanks for the supply of potable water to the affected communities.

Mr Agama repeated calls on the people, especially those within the affected communities to pay attention to personal and environmental hygiene. 01 Feb. 06