The Eastern Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service says it has produced educational audios and jingles in different languages as part of efforts in communicating to the public on the coronavirus.
Addressing the media in Accra, the Eastern Regional Health Director, Dr. Alberta Biritwum Nyarko said the move is to offer an easy understanding of the disease, its symptoms and preventive measures at the basic level to all Ghanaians.
“Our health promotion department has been able to come up with audios and jingles in various languages which we are going to share with community information centres, bus stations, media houses and anywhere people congregate so that people can hear the same message over and over again,” said Dr. Biritwum Nyarko.
The development comes at a time when the Ghana Health Service says it has intensified its efforts in containing the disease should a case be reported in Ghana.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye after a crunch meeting with regional health directors in Accra over the virus said the GHS will continue resourcing the regions adequately to work against the virus.
“The regions have had regional coordinating meetings with the regional director. They have identified treatment centres and they have done orientation for all of their staff. They’ve also intensified community education and mass radio awareness creation for which we expect them to adhere to. Currently, we’ve also given them additional resource packs to help intensify their work with updated treatment protocols,” he said.
Growing cases of the disease in Africa
Ghana’s northern neighbour, Burkina Faso on March 10, 2020, confirmed its first case of the virus.
According to Burkina Faso’s Health Minister, Prof. Claudine Lougué, a couple who recently returned from France has been detected with the disease.
The Minister said another person who was in close contact with the couple is being closely monitored and under confinement at home.
Some African countries affected so far are:
Egypt – 55
Algeria – 20
South Africa – 7
Tunisia – 5
Senegal – 4
Morocco – 2
Cameroon – 2
Burkina Faso – 2
Nigeria – 2
Togo – 1
DR Congo – 1
African statistics
Over 100 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Africa.
The majority of the cases are in Egypt.
In Algeria, 20 persons have caught the virus while in South Africa, seven have been recorded.
Tunisia has five cases while Senegal has four cases.
Official figures indicate that there are three persons affected in Morroco, with one dying as a result.
There are two cases each in Cameroon and Nigeria who have the virus.
In neighbouring Togo, one case has been reported.
