The Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC) is set to meet with food vendors in Takoradi today to discuss the ongoing ban on the sale and purchase of vegetables as part of efforts to manage the cholera outbreak in the region.
Speaking on ABC in the Morning on Thursday, December 12, 2024, Regional Environment Health Analyst Oliver Cromwell emphasized the critical role of this engagement.
“This is the way to go and stop the spread. Today we are going to meet the food vendors again to discuss the ban on vegetables at Takoradi,” he stated, adding that similar discussions will extend to other communities in the coming days.
Highlighting sanitation concerns, Cromwell pointed to the scattered refuse across the metropolis and assured the public that his team is working with Zoomlion to ensure proper waste evacuation.
He also appealed to corporate bodies to support the WRCC in cleaning the environment.
Cromwell underscored the necessity of the vegetable ban, noting, “About 95% of the cases are coming from food and vegetables, food vendors. We realized that when we do this, maybe we will reduce the incidence of cholera. We need to monitor it for the next five days and see if what we’ve put in place is in the right direction.”
Further measures include enforcing compulsory handwashing practices among food vendors.
“We are telling them to use the handwashing facility. And this time, it is compulsory in the Western Region. Without the handwashing facility, you cannot sell,” Cromwell warned.
Starting Friday, food vendors without handwashing stations will be barred from selling.
These actions come as part of urgent measures by the WRCC to address the alarming cholera outbreak, which has already seen over 789 suspected cases and eight deaths in the region, with Sekondi-Takoradi and Effia Kwesimintsim accounting for 95% of infections.
