The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has warned of a possible cholera outbreak in Dormaa in the Bono Region.
A letter cited by Newstitbits.com to the Medical Director of the Bono Regional Hospital and other medical superintendents of the municipal and districts hospitals stated that the region has recorded one confirmed case of Cholera.
“This is to inform you that the region has now recorded one confirmed cholera case in a 10-year-old girl from Dormaa Municipal,” a portion of the letter read.
It added that “on the 3rd of January 2023, the Dormaa Municipal alerted the region of a suspected cholera case. The sample was taken to the Bono Regional Hospital for further investigation. On Sunday, the 8th of January 2023, the lab confirmed the sample to be positive for Vibrio cholerae.”
According to the GHS, Cholera is an acute illness with profuse watery diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae serogroups 01 and 0139.
The Service cautioned that Cholera may cause severe dehydration in only a few hours and the case of untreated patients with severe dehydration, the case fatality rate (CFR) may exceed 50%.
In view of the above, all District Health Directorates and facilities have been encouraged to strengthen surveillance on Cholera and other diseases of epidemic potential for prompt response actions if they do occur.
Heads of medical centres have also been requested to conduct investigations and collect specimens for laboratory confirmation and further actions for all suspected cases.
“You are also to intensify education on the prevention of cholera and other epidemic-prone diseases.”