Builsa South Assembly bans sale of bushmeat

The Builsa South District Assembly has placed a temporary ban on the sale of bush meat as part of measures to help prevent the infection and spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

The Assembly had also intensified its public education and enforcement of its bye-laws on open defecation, food hygiene and the production and sale of sachet water.

Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Afiuc, District Chief Executive (DCE), said this on Saturday after members of the district had embarked on several hours of cleaning the area.

The event, led by the DCE, attracted a large crowd including staff of the assembly and Zoomlion Company Limited to rid the district of filth to avoid the outbreak of preventable diseases such as cholera and Ebola.

Mrs. Afiuc said the assembly’s decision to temporarily ban the sale of bush meat was because it had been noted that animals such as bats, monkeys, and baboons were the carriers of the Ebola virus.

She indicated that the cleanup campaign, which was organised to climax the public health education on Ebola, had also become necessary because of the recent increase in the number of Ebola cases in some parts of West Africa and the cholera outbreak in Ghana.

Mrs. Afiuc said as part of efforts to keep the district clean and revive the communal spirit of the people, the assembly would, every first Saturday of the month, embark on cleanup campaigns to keep the environment clean.

The DCE commended the people for the high turnout and urged them to adhere to the directives of the assembly to prevent the outbreak and spread of preventable diseases.

She entreated the District Epidemic Committee to continue to sensitise the people on preventable measures.

Mr. Aluisi Peter, District Diseases Control Officer, said there had not been any reported case of cholera in the area but that the district recorded 540 diarrhoea cases in the first half of 2014.