Committee to campaign against cholera and Ebola

The Western Regional Risk Communication and Social Mobilization Committee has been reconstituted to strengthen it to play a more effective role in the campaign against cholera and Ebola.

The committee consists of representatives from the Ghana Health Service, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Ghana Journalists Association, Information Services Department, National Commission of Civic Education, and the Environmental Health Department, among other organisations.

At the maiden meeting of the committee at Sekondi, on Wednesday, Mr. Hope Howusu, Western Regional Coordinating Director, charged the committee to formulate a three-month plan to ensure continuous education on how to prevent cholera and Ebola.

He charged the committee to create platforms for disseminating information on the two diseases.

Mr. Japhet Baidoo, Western Regional Coordinator of NADMO, said the aim of the regional Cholera/Ebola Risk Communication and Social Mobilization Preparedness Plan was to guide stakeholders, coordinate, and enhance communication on risk during an outbreak.

He said cholera had become a disaster that needed effective management because of the alarming rate it was spreading in the country.

Mr. Baidoo said the NADMO was coordinating efforts of organisations in the prevention of the two diseases and charged the committee to brainstorm on measures to reduce the infection rate of cholera in the region.

He said the Western Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) was, especially, concerned about cholera because coastal areas had high infection rates of the disease.