National Case Management Rapid Response Team Deployed After Typhoid Outbreak- GHS

The National Case Management Rapid Response Team has been deployed to the Oti Region following the reported outbreak of Typhoid Fever, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

In a statement, it said the team will support the regional team to ascertain the situation and urged the public to remain calm as experts are on the ground assessing the situation.

“We will provide further details after the initial assessment and institute measures that will protect life in the affected districts and the region as a whole,” it added.

According to the Service, the outbreak is concentrated in Biakoye, Krachi East, Krachi West and Krachi Nchumuru Districts.

About Disease
Typhoid fever is generally endemic in Ghana and caused by a bacterium called Salmonella Typhi.

It spreads via the faecal-oral route when people ingest food or water contaminated with the urine or faeces of someone who is infected. Infected persons may or may not have symptoms and signs of the disease.

Signs and Symptoms of Typhoid fever include: fever, chills, malaise, headache, sore throat, and sometimes, abdominal pain with or without diarrhoea.

Preventives Measures
* Ensure drinking water is safe by boiling.
* Handwashing with soap under running water after toilet visits and before meals.
* Avoid open defecation near streams or wells.
* Cook food thoroughly, cover cooked meals, and avoid street foods sold in unhygienic conditions.
* Organise community clean-up campaigns to remove refuse from gutters and markets.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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