Some environmental health students on an internship programme at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly on Tuesday advised the communities in Tema to make environmental health a priority to curb an outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever.

Ms Beatrice Prisca, an internship student of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), speaking the Ghana News Agency in an interview said as a patriotic citizen of Ghana, we should be more responsible for waste management in our communities since it can help prevent diseases.

According to Ms Prisca, "we must all get involved in educating the general public on how to keep our environment clean, wash our hands regularly before eating, especially, keeping our latrines clean to help prevent houseflies from stepping on it and stepping on our foods, also we should eat warm food to prevent being infected with typhoid fever".

Ms Comfort Avaya, another student on an internship at TMA, said that previously Environmental Health Officers were known as 'Town Council', though the name has been changed, the duties remain the same.

She said that "when we go to the community or the field to educate them, they don't even want to listen to us, the community is not welcoming us like those days when the name used to be "town council".

She, therefore, called for the prosecution of environmental offenders.

Ms Hilda Atinga, also an internship student, called for stringent enforcement of laws as well as prosecution of offenders to deter others from engaging in unhealthy environmental practices.

Ms Beatrice Akpabi also encouraged everyone to keep a good and hygienic environment.