Cape Coast: The Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS), in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, has delivered essential health emergency response supplies to the Central Regional Coordinating Council to combat the cholera outbreak in the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, the relief items include 540 cholera vaccines, 3,000 chlorine tablets, knapsack engine-powered spraying machines, personal protective equipment, Veronica buckets, and handwashing stands. These supplies are intended for distribution to healthcare facilities to manage the outbreak, which began in October 2024 and has spread across more than 36 districts in five regions: Greater Accra, Central, Western, Eastern, and Ashanti.
The Central Region has also benefited from a health volunteers training program conducted by the Ghana Red Cross Society, with 80 out of 250 trainees coming from the region. These volunteers are currently operating in the Greater Accra, Western, Ashanti, and Central Regions. The outbreak in the Central Region has resulted in over 3,000 suspected cholera cases, with 260 confirmed and 19 fatalities, including four infected health workers in late 2024.
Cholera is a fatal disease transmitted through contaminated food and water, leading to severe diarrhea and dehydration. It is preventable through access to clean water, proper sanitation, and good hygiene practices, but remains a public health challenge in areas with inadequate waste management and limited healthcare services. The ongoing outbreak has severely strained health facilities in the region.
Red Cross volunteers are working in three districts: Mfantseman, Cape Coast, and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem. Mr. Solomon Gbolo Gayori, Secretary General of the GRCS, emphasized the importance of these interventions in enhancing public health education and containment efforts. The GRCS has been actively engaged in providing sanitation resources and community outreach to curb the outbreak’s spread.
The response includes house-to-house campaigns by trained volunteers, promoting handwashing practices, and conducting school and community outreach programs. Media engagements through radio and TV broadcasts, along with posters and leaflets distributed at public gatherings, are part of the awareness campaign. Faith-based institutions and public facilities are also crucial in spreading prevention messages, with community information centers facilitating real-time surveillance through volunteer networks.
Mr. Bless Kwame Darkeh, who received the items, expressed gratitude to the GRCS for their assistance and pledged to collaborate with stakeholders to control the disease in the region.