Nursing by phone helps save lives in Ghana’s coastal town

December 9, 2015

“It started like a runny stomach but it was soon followed by vomiting. I was so scared that I thought I would lose my pregnancy and life”, says Faith Kuwornu, a 27 year-old pregnant mother of three, in Ghana’s coastal town of Keta, in the Volta Region. Faith was among the dozens who escaped the deadly cholera disease that threatened the town of about 20,000 people in 2014. Despite the 8.4 kilometer sea defence wall, rising sea levels caused by climate change expose Keta to heavy flooding. This is worsened when it rains, as insanitary conditions and health hazards cause diarrhoea and cholera among the affected population. The floods effectively cut off most communities making it difficult for health workers to provide care for the people.

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Project saves Keta from cholera this year

December 9, 2015

Keta Municipality, known for annual outbreaks of cholera, has this year escaped the epidemic, following the rolling out of a project dubbed, ‘Climatic Change and Health’ in the area. The pilot project by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environment Fund is to build capacity of health staff on climatic change and impact on disease outbreaks and unique challenges in care delivery. Dr. Andrews Ayim, Keta Municipal Director of Ghana Health, confirmed this when a team from the UNDP came on a project impart assessment visit to the area at Agortoe.

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