Cholera outbreak contained in Birim Central

The Birim Central Municipal Environmental Health Directorate has taken a number of measures to contain the recent cholera outbreak in the Municipality.

The measures include, visiting targeted areas where there were cholera cases to educate the people on the causes and prevention of the disease.

Mr. Lawrence Obeng, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Officer of the Municipality, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) Media Auditing and Tracking of Development team at Akyem Oda.

The GNA Media Auditing and Tracking of Development project is sponsored by STAR Ghana and was initiated to promote participatory democracy at the district level.

Mr Obeng said the people were educated on how to put chlorine tablet in their drinking water to kill bacteria in them.

“We are using information services vehicle to go to the various communities to educate the people on cholera, the need to stop open defecation, how to properly dispose of feaces and hand washing with soap under running water among others”.

Mr. Obeng said the directorate had also started going to churches to educate the congregations on the disease.

“We highlight on the churches social responsibility to ensure that, the disease does not spread further” he observed.

He said the municipal assembly had also met stakeholders and developed strategies to contain the disease.

Mr. Obeng reveals that, USAID, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health supplied chlorine tablet to be distributed to affected communities.

From August to September this year, the Akyem Oda Government hospital recorded 49 cholera cases with 2 deaths.