The Deputy Volta Regional Director of Health Service at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Senanu Kwasi Dzokoto, has expressed concerns that malaria and typhoid cases could rise following the flood disaster in parts of the region if immediate steps are not taken.
He explained that the flood had caused people to sleep rough, exposing them to mosquito bites. The people are also most exposed to contaminated water which increases the chances of getting infected with typhoid, he added.
To that end, he said, the GHS is embarking on increased surveillance and risk communication to educate the people on what to do in times of a flood disaster like this to avoid infections.
Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Thursday, October 19, he said “For the health system, you should have an entire response system that we are looking at, we are not firefighting and looking for only one particular kind of disease, we have several diseases we are looking out for not only in health facilities but in communities as well.
“We have what we call enhanced surveillance, we know that in such circumstances we are going to have diseases that are waterborne and vector-borne so when we say waterborne we are referring to diseases like cholera and I am sure that is what most health practitioners will fear, we are also looking at typhoid fever, all kinds of infections.
“There are some vector-borne diseases we are also looking out for, for example, malaria. Because of the exposure to the weather people are sleeping rough, they sleep in classrooms, some sleep in open spaces, they are exposed to mosquito bites, and the environment is good for mosquitoes to breed. So we are expecting to see an increased number of Malaria cases if there is no intervention.
“All these cases would escalate if there is no intervention. So the focus of our response system is to first of all try and prevent, so we are doing a lot of risk communications so that people adopt the right behaviors. Then we are doing a lot of social mobilization so everybody will come in and support get people what they actually need.”
Earlier, Former Minister of Health, Alex Segbefia also indicated that there was a high possibility of health emergencies following the flood that was occasioned by the spillage of water from the Akosombo Dam.
To that end, he asked the government to prepare way ahead of the possible health issues and start looking for which vaccines are best to inoculate the people.
“The government has to be prepared,” he said on the Big Issue on TV3 Wednesday, October 18.
Following the flood situation, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) warned of the outbreak of cholera in the areas.
To that end, the GMA wants the Ministry of Health to be part of the 13-member inter-ministerial committee that has been formed to assess the flood situation.
Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Monday, October 16Acting General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Richmond Selormey said “in our view as the GMA, in such an emergency, there is a big component that the health sector plays in the relief efforts.
“If you take this flooding for example, people have lost their livelihoods, people have been displaced from their homes, many don’t have access to basic amenities that they had before and therefore there’s a great risk for waterborne diseases, for various injuries because of floating objects, The outbreak of some conditions as cholera, typhoid, and even malaria because there is a pooling of water everywhere.
“There is a big problem of continuity of care because people who used to access health facilities have been cut off. We are aware that there are about three health centres that have been cut off by the floods. This, we think, makes a compelling case that the Ministry, not the person of the Minister per se, has a big role to play in these efforts and it is important that the Health Ministry is included in this inter-ministerial committee.”
The government formed the 13-member inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Chief of Staff to address issues relating to the flood.
The members are Ministers of National Security, Interior, Defence, Energy, Finance, Local Government, Works and Housing, Roads and Highways, Environment, Sanitation, Lands and Natural Resources, and Information.
The committee was formed on the instruction of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a statement issued by Information Minister Kojo Joopong Nkrumah on Friday, October 13 said.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the VRA, Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa said that the lake is currently experiencing inflows more than expected hence the spillage is going to continue.
“We are on phase II [of the spillage] right now and it is a cycle. It is normal at this time of the year for us to experience inflows. The difference is that we are getting more than expected and to safeguard this dam means that we have to spill water, that is the standard operation for any hydro dam but the inflows that we are seeing now are in excess.
“Definitely, as the cycle goes through this will recede so we are hoping it will recede in the next time,” he told journalists on Thursday, October 12.
“The spilling may continue even though we are anticipating that the levels may drop down to phase 1, which was started on September 15 but of course, we did not have much excess as we are seeing now, this is an emergency as we have seen from the beginning.
“Whether dredging or no dredging it is an emergency. The volume of water that is coming into the lake right now which we have to throw out, it means that we need to evacuate people from wherever they are to ensure they are safe until the inflows recede,” he added.
The VRA was accused of neglecting its responsibilities in the Lower Volta Basin hence the huge impact of flood caused by spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on communities.