Mr Kannyiri T. Banyen, President of Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on Saturday said the fight against the cholera epidemic demanded intensification of health education by all stakeholders.
He said the recent outbreak of cholera in parts of Accra and other areas of the country was as a result of poor sanitation and stressed the need for all to get involved in the fight against the epidemic.
Mr Kannyiri said this during a clean-up campaign organized by the executive and membership of TEIN NDC at the University of Ghana
Hospital (UGH), Legon in Accra.
The programme was on the theme: “Eradication of Cholera for a Better Ghana: The role of the Tertiary Students”.
Mr Kannyiri said a healthy environment created conducive atmosphere for the students to learn to achieve their future plans.
He said environmental and sanitation awareness was an effective way to eradicate diseases and sicknesses like malaria and cholera.
He urged all, especially students, to maintain proper hygienic conditions in their schools and homes because unhygienic environment
increased the risks of water born diseases, fungal infections and cholera.
Mr Joseph Ali Dantani, University of Ghana branch Chairman of NDC, said the nation must adopt holistic educational campaign involving all stakeholders to ensure cholera eradication for a better Ghana.
He said Members of Parliament must focus on their constituencies, corporate bodies their target communities, media devoting specific air
space and newspaper columns for sensitization and the religious leaders must use their churches and mosques in the campaign towards eradicating the disease.
Mr Dantani appealed to families who were affected by the epidemic to ensure that children were kept away from contaminated materials,
washed their hands with soap, and only drank water that had been purified or boiled.
Dr Ebenezer K. Hayford, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geology, UG, and patron of TEIN NDC, said as part of the cholera campaign the group donated sanitary equipments to the UGH to help fight the cholera outbreak.
He said the outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country, which has so far claimed about 61 lives out of the 4,009 reported cases as of March 17, was of great concern to the Institution.
He said two students had so far died of cholera at the UGH.
Dr Hayford said one could get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated by faecal matter and by simply shaking hands with a
person with cholera and eating without washing the hands.
He urged people to observe proper hygiene and stop defecating on open grounds or into drains.