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An acute water shortage in Ghana's Eastern region is leading most residents to drink unhygienic water, heightening the risk of cholera that has already killed nine people and infected 42 others, 'The Ghanaian Chronicle' reported on Thursday.
The newspaper reported the regional director of health services, Dr Aaron Offei, as saying that by the week ending 17 February 42 cases of cholera had been detected in the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar, Akuapem North and South districts of the region.
"The situation is such that we have to appeal to the district assemblies to help contain the water problem and improve sanitation in their communities as a matter of urgency," he said.
Cholera is fairly common during the rainy season. However, this is the dry period in Ghana and an outbreak at this time, the newspaper reported, "seems to warn that an escalating trend that has been established over the past three years will be maintained and worsened".
In 1997, it said, there were 82 reported cases, but by 31 December 2000, there were 1,955 cases and 64 deaths.
"The relative increase in cases can partly be attributed to the increase in sensitivity of the surveillance system to epidemic prone diseases that culminated in more laboratory examinations to confirm investigations," Offei said.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
