Health Officials Warn of Potential Waterborne Disease Outbreak

Following the flooding situation that occurred in various districts in the Volta Region, the Volta Regional Health Directorate is expressing concern about the potential widespread of waterborne disease.

This comes after a number of latrines and open restrooms were flooded as a result of the Akosombo Dam’s spillover.

Stella Kumedzro, the Volta Regional Environmental Health Officer, discussed the problem in an interview and pleaded with the relevant parties to give the affected villages access to safe drinking water.

“Most of the people I saw still use that surface water for cooking, bathing, and other household chores. So the implications for public health are that it will trigger water-related diseases, skin rashes, diarrhea, typhoid, and so on. And so it is a very terrible situation at hand. I want to appeal to all well-meaning Ghanaians, our wonderful development partners, to come to the aid of residents of Mepe in the North Tongu district,” she stated.

The flooding disaster is affecting healthcare delivery in the district, according to Michael Kofi Zigah, the North Tongu District Health Director.

“Currently, a lot of communities have been displaced in the district. Once communities are displaced, they will not have access to the regular facilities they used to have access to. They will not have access to portable water, sanitary facilities, and routine health services,” he emphasized .

“Because it is more or less like a campout. And that is affecting service delivery and the health of the people. But the fortunate thing is that as a district, we managed to operationalize a mobile clinic here,” he added.