…Parliament summons Health Minister
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has been summoned to appear before Parliament within one week, to brief the House on the outbreak of cholera and cerebrospinal meningitis in the country.
This follows an appeal by the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, requesting the Minister to update the House on measures being taken by the government to contain the spread of the two deadly diseases.
Afenyo-Markin, noted that over 400 cholera cases, have been recorded in his jurisdiction, while 14 deaths, have been reported from the cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak in the Upper West Region.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by consuming food, water, or by person-to-person contact with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. It’s more likely to spread in areas without adequate sanitation and safe drinking water. It’s more common in parts of the world like the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa.
Cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) on the other hand is a serious infection of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It’s a medical emergency that can be fatal and requires immediate treatment.
CSM, can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or chemicals. The most common cause is bacterial meningitis, which can be caused by Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae. Viral meningitis is the most common type of viral meningitis.
Symptoms of CSM include Fever, Headache, Joint and muscle pain, Vomiting, Stiff neck and back, sensitivity to light, drowsiness and Rash that looks like pinpricks.
In response to Afenyo-Markin, the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, directed the Health Minister to appear before Parliament within one week.
“We need the Minister of Health to appear before the house within one week to brief the house on all the health issues raised on the floor”.
Afenyo-Markin, further called on the Ministry to deploy supportive staff to Winneba Health Facility so that they could contain the outbreak and save the lives of his constituents.
“Mr Speaker, it has been reported that 412 cases of cholera in Effutu municipality have claimed three lives. Currently, we have the affected in the Winneba Municipal Hospital, the UEW Clinic, and the Winneba Health Centre. Mr Speaker, the facilities there are very stressed. Most of these cases are coming from the shelves. The central government must immediately intervene to save lives.
“We also need supporting staff deployed to Winneba, and the minister of health must direct other health professionals to enable them to contain the outbreak.
The outbreak of cholera in the Effutu Municipality, has become overwhelming, causing Mr Afenyo-Markin, to appeal for support from the Ministry of Health.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Health, Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Minority Leader in Parliament, observed that the “development has placed significant strain on the health facilities and personnel within the Municipality” requiring an “immediate need for financial support, for operational expenses, including fuel, sanitation efforts, and the procurement of urgent supplies, essential medical supplies & treatment kits, logistical support for health education and public awareness.”
“Considering the above, I respectfully request that the necessary resources and essential items be made available to the Effutu Municipal Health Directorate immediately to help contain the outbreak before it escalates further,” he pleaded.
Presently, the municipality is dealing with over 400 suspected cases of cholera. The death toll, which stood at two as of Monday, February 10, 2025, has risen to three.
Even though fishing communities along the municipality’s coastal stretch remained the hardest-hit areas, other parts have also begun recording cases.
Media reports have confirmed that a number of cases have been recorded at the University of Education, Winneba.
In a statement to alert students to stay safe, Coordinator for the Pan African Students Pride Alliance, NK Frimpong announced that the University Health Services in a move to curb the menace “has decided to fumigate all the halls on campus” while also admonishing students “not to self-medicate”.
30 suspected cases were reported yesterday, with two deaths so far, but the number of cases is still going up, mostly coming from the coastal communities. So health education is being intensified. Cars are hired, and speakers are mounted with cars to do that.
Health experts in the area are calling for more cars and pickups to follow up on cases in the communities. As of yesterday, the Assembly was to release one of its pickups for the hospital, but more help is needed for fuel and other logistics.
Initially, the majority of the recorded cases in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region were described as mild. The Regional Health Directorate says environmental assessments have identified open defecation as one of the major causes of the spread.
The Directorate says it is engaging the security services and environmental officers to ensure that persons who defecate along the coast are punished.
Central Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Agnes Achiamaa Anane, expressed confidence that the interventions they have implemented will drastically reduce the numbers.
“Currently, we are having a lot of cases, but I must say that the sensitization is going well. People are getting to know that they have to report to a health facility as early as possible once they suspect they have cholera.
“We have done some activities over the weekend [February 8], and we have engaged the traditional authorities on the issue. We have also done environmental assessments, and one key challenge we have noticed is open defecation along the coast,” Dr Achiamaa Anane said.
“We have engaged the environmental officers and the security personnel to ensure that people who defecate along the coast are dealt with. Currently, we have seventeen new cases, but interestingly, they are mild, and we are dealing with it,” the Regional Health Director told Citi News.
“We have also started administering vaccines to the medical staff who are taking part in the treatment, hoping to also reduce the spread on the part of health workers,” the Regional Director said.
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