GHS challenges WHO ranking of Ghana as 5th most cholera endemic country

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The Ghana Health Service says a recent World Health Organization (WHO) ranking of Ghana as the fifth most cholera endemic country in the world failed to consider the significant progress made so far towards eliminating the disease in the country.

Cholera is one of the three WHO quarantinable diseases along with yellow fever and plague.

In 2011, there were 589 854 cases of cholera reported globally. of this number, there were 7 800 deaths.

In Ghana, there were 10,628 cases with 105 deaths and this ranks Ghana as the 5th most cholera endemic country by the Health supervisory body.

However, Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Joseph Amankwa says though the problem was evident in previous years a lot has been done to prevent outbreaks.

"This year we haven't confirmed anything and we think it is because of the measures that we put in place", the Director stated.

He said intensive public education on how to prevent the disease has proved successful.

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