The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has taken up the initiative of preventive healthcare with the introduction of graphic adverts on cholera prevention.
The art work which is trending on social media platforms has a picture of an individual washing the hand with soap under running water under the inscription, “Be Alert For Cholera!!!”
The educational material further gives information on cholera preventive measures in its crafted message which reads, “The season of cholera is here. Wash your hands before eating and after visiting the toilet to prevent cholera…. Stay healthy! Stay Happy!”
It also has its social media handle on the work as well as a hot line 054446447 for customers to call.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) a few weeks ago warned of a possible cholera outbreak in Accra due to the current insanitary conditions in the capital coupled with the onset of the rains.
The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate of the GHS stated that waste disposal in the capital has become a major challenge following the shut-down of the Accra compost plant.
The Head of Health Promotion Unit of the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate of the GHS, Honesty Attah Mensah, mentioned that Ghanaians have the ultimate responsibility to protect themselves against contracting cholera.
In 2014, a deadly cholera outbreak in Ghana claimed the lives of some 250 people and infected as many as 25, 000 people between January and December.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal illness caused by the bacteria vibrio cholerae that can result in a profound and rapidly progressive dehydration and death.
Ingestion of water and food contaminated by infected human faeces is the common means of acquiring the disease.
The main symptoms are profuse painless watery diarrhoea without fever and (often) with vomiting of clear fluid.
These symptoms usually start suddenly, one to five days after ingestion of the bacteria.
Diarrhoea is frequently described as ‘rice water’ in nature and may have a fishy odour or somewhat sweet inoffensive odour.
An untreated person with cholera may produce 10-20 litres of diarrhoea a day with fatal results.
If the severe diarrhoea and vomiting are not aggressively treated, it can, within hours, result in life-threatening dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri