The number of suspected cases of Cholera recorded in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region has risen to 214.

Officials from the Ghana Health Service in the municipality said a total of 11 cases have been confirmed so far, putting authorities on high alert.

On January 2, the disease claimed one life and the victim passed away at the Swedru Government Hospital.

The Municipal Health Director for Agona West, Bertha Arthur has thus urged residents to stay alert, while it worked to deal with the outbreak.

Also, the directorate advised the public to practice a high level of hygiene and report early symptoms to a health facility for action.

“As we speak, we have suspected 214 cases. Suspected means that some came with dehydration, diarrhoea and some kind of vomiting. We also have confirmed 11 cases. It means that out of all the samples we sent to the lab, it certified that 11 of them have cholera.

“In an outbreak condition, if a district suspects or confirms an outbreak above a certain number, it means that we have reached an emergency,” Ms Arthur said.

The municipal director of health for Agona West also called for a collaborative effort to control the situation, saying “It is time for all hands on deck to deal with the menace."

She said education and awareness creation had been intensified to sensitise people to the outbreak.

" We are implementing a multi-faceted approach with all stakeholders to save the situation. 

"However, we call on the public to report to the hospital as early as possible when they see symptoms of cholera to help avert any tragedy or loss of life,” the municipal director said.

As of December 26, 2024, the cholera outbreak in some parts of the country had claimed 37 lives with confirmed cases rising from 346 to 359.

The number of districts with confirmed cholera cases had also increased, rising from 44 to 46 as of December 24, 2024.

New cases emerged in Agona East (Central Region) and La Nkwantanang Madina (Greater Accra Region).

To address the outbreak, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) deployed multi-sectoral rapid response teams at the national, regional and district levels.

The teams are working to contain the spread and provide essential support to affected communities.

While hospitalisations have decreased from 64 to 46 within the reporting period, the Western Region continues to have the highest number of hospitalised individuals at 37. 

The Greater Accra Region reports three hospitalisations, while the Central Region had six.

Contact tracing efforts, the GHS said, had been robust, with 9,667 contacts identified. 

Among these, 8,667 have completed the mandatory five-day follow-up period.

Additionally, it said Phase 2 of the sub-national Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) campaign was concluded between December 15 and 18, 2024, targeting hotspots in the Western Region. 

It said districts such as Sekondi-Takoradi, Effia Kwesimintsim, Shama and Ahanta West were covered, with a mop-up exercise conducted on December 19.

The campaign successfully vaccinated 596,205 people, achieving 92.9 per cent coverage of the target population.

The GHS also intensified testing of food vendors and water sources in affected districts to prevent further spread.