Minority members on the Health Committee of Parliament have called on the Ministry of Finance to release money to aid activities of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). 

Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament on Thursday, the Ranking Member of the Committee, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said an engagement with the FDA indicated that ..."they have no money". 

Mr Akandoh's call was necessitated by the outbreak of anthrax in the Upper East region.

"This is very sensitive because we have anthrax at hand and surveillance activities cannot be done by the FDA. I think this is a very sensitive matter we should not sweep under the carpet, you and I are not safe," he said. 

According to him, the citizenry could only rely on the FDA but their failure to do their work was a hindrance to the country. 

Mr Akandoh, also a Member of Parliament for Juaboso constituency, cited Act 7 of the Public Health Act 851 to outline surveillance and General Manufacturing Processes (GMP) as the two core mandates of the FDA that an alleged lack of funds was preventing the Authority from performing to ascertain the standards of food, medical equipment and drugs on the market. 

"Meanwhile, the FDA has stopped its activities, subjecting the public to a high risk of not being able to authenticate the wholesomeness of products on the market, without surveillance. 

"And with the outbreak of anthrax, it is expected of the FDA to intensify its operations but unfortunately, its surveillance and GMP operations are stalled," he said. 

The outbreak of the disease necessitated a ban on the movement of ruminants such as goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, and dogs from the eastern corridor of the Upper East region. 

According to Dr Benjamin Kissi Sasu, the Risk Communications Manager at the Ghana Veterinary Service, the situation has been brought under control. 

“A total of 1,243,000 animals have been vaccinated in the Upper East region. So far, so good. Looking at the data and the participation of the community, the various districts have now cooperated, and we have had a good number of animal vaccinations ongoing.  

“Currently, we are not seeing any signs [of anthrax], and we hope it will keep up. So yes, we have been able to contain it in that way,” Dr Kissi Sasu assured. 

In a press release, the Regional Health Directorate, on June 1, 2023, announced that it received notification of two suspected cases of anthrax with one death in the Binduri district following the consumption of dead cattle. 

In all, four cows died in the affected community. Eleven suspected cases were identified, and contact tracing started in the affected community.