A looming health crisis is unfolding in the Oti Region, where a staggering 22,261 cases of typhoid fever have been confirmed by the Regional Health Directorate in the region, sparking widespread concerns.

This latest alarming figure of confirmed cases of the disease in the region is almost two times higher than the figure recorded during the first quarter of the year, which stood at 10,233

The Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong, who confirmed this to Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, attributed the situation to poor sanitation, which he claimed poses a significant public health challenge to the region and its people.

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He indicated that, though the Environmental and Sanitation Secretariat earlier embarked on a six-month campaign across the region to educate residents on the causes and prevention of typhoid following the initial findings, the figures continue to rise.

“This is problematic, and it is creating a lot of issues in the Oti Region. In the first quarter of this year, we had around 10,233 confirmed cases, which means that about 5% of the Oti population has typhoid,” he remarked.

Touching on the current situation, he said, "That is the report we have from the Environmental Secretariat in the Oti Region. If we are to break it down, every 20 people you find in the Oti Region, two of them have typhoid."

Giving a background to efforts made from the beginning to control the surge of the disease in the region, he disclosed that "When we had the first information about what was going on regarding typhoid, we quickly sent our Environmental and Sanitation Secretariat to go down to the Oti Region to advise people about this sickness. We have done that for six months, and the report is still not encouraging.

"The scary part is that after this report, we organised a meeting about the rise and asked the Health Directorate to search, and the report they are even giving us now is scarier than before," he added.

As the situation continues to deteriorate, residents have been warned to take extreme precautions to avoid contracting the disease by paying attention to the water they use and also keeping their environment clean.

NAAB/SEA

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