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Help disaster victims with shelter before hot weather,
CSM-GHS
Bolgatanga, Feb. 4, Ghanadot/GNA. The
Upper East Regional Health Directorate on Monday expressed
fear of an outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis during the
approaching hot season as victims of the recent flood
disaster were living in crowded conditions.
“The Upper East is sitting on thorns for fear of a CSM wave
that comes every eight to fourteen years. One came in 1984,
the next in 1996 and now this is 2008. With the crowding
posed by the last floods we hope assistance will be
forthcoming for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to
rebuild their houses quickly before the hot season”, Dr.
Agana Nsire, Acting Regional Director of Health Service
said.
Dr. Nsire, said this when he gave an address at a day’s
Advocacy Seminar
on; “Responding to the sexual and Reproductive Health needs
of Disaster
victims in Bolgatanga”.
He appealed to the Government and NGOs to expedite action on
assisting disaster victims to build their houses before the
middle of March when the weather would get hot and crowding
could easily spread the CSM germ.
Dr. Nsire noted that the floods caused many health problems
including, malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and chest
infections to escalate, saying it would be prudent to take
measures to prevent health hazards.
Dr. Nsire said due to the stagnant water left by the floods
and the people sleeping in open places, many more suffered
from malaria during the flood period from August to
September 2007 than any other time.
In the Bulisa District where the floods hit hardest, 25,000
cases of malaria were recorded in 2007 as against 14,000 in
2006. For the months of the floods, 11,000 people came down
with malaria while 3,000 persons suffered from the disease
during the same period the previous year, 2006.
Dr. Nsire expressed gratitude to all individuals and NGOs
that helped the flood victims and said; “the pending cloud
of potential disease outbreaks, especially CSM, the increase
in malnutrition, resulting from food shortages and the
collapsed health infrastructure estimated at over 1.5
Million Ghana Cedis still remain problems that cannot be
borne by the Ghana Health Service alone.”
Mr. Alhassan Samari, Upper East Regional Minister noted that
Government’s attention was focused on reconstruction of
social infrastructure, feeder roads and the emergency trunk
road works of Kulungugu and Missiga-Garu bailey bridges.
For Food Security, he said government had put in place
strategic plans for the three Northern regions that included
forecast of expected food production, estimating the inputs
needed and the food needs of affected communities until the
next harvest.
“So far, government, through NADMO has provided large
quantities of maize and 13,393 bags of rice, 6,596 packets
of roofing sheets, 4,000 bags of cement, 18,250 pieces of
blankets, and 16,250 pieces of mats”.
Mr. Samari noted that the adverse effects of the flood would
continue for many years and called on all stakeholders to
continue to collaborate their efforts so as to ensure a more
efficient and focused services to the people.
The seminar, organized by the Ghana Health Service and
sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was
meant to draw the attention of Health Personnel to issues of
Sexual and Reproductive Health in times of disaster.
GNA
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