Tema-Ghana, June 29, GNA – The spread of typhoid fever can be attributed to poor environmental sanitation, leading to various degrees of contamination of food and water, and when ingested by humans, the germ causes serious ill-health.
Mr Rocky Tettedzie, a Physician Assistant at the Pleasant Medical Centre, who said this, gave some of the sources of infection as contaminated drinking water, seafoods from water contaminated with infected feacal matter, raw vegetables that had been fertilised with human waste, and infected milk products.
It was therefore important for people to ensure the thorough cleaning of all seafoods, fruits, vegetables and sterilisation of fresh milk, before cooking, eating and drinking to avoid infection.
Mr Tettedzie shared his knowledge on the subject at a forum organised by the Ghana News Agency under its weekly health information and advocacy platform initiative dubbed “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility!
He stressed on the maintenance of healthy lifestyles, including routine thorough handwashing with soap under running water, especially after using the toilet, refraining from chewing fingernails, buying food from reputable sources, and ensuring the proper disposal of sewage and other garbage.
He said improper disposal of human waste could lead to a contamination of a community’s water supply creating a diseased environment.
Mr Tettedzie said typhoid fever “may cause severe consequences such as haemorrhage, infection of the liver, surgery and relapse when not handled or treated appropriately by a professional.
He therefore advised people with symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and skin discolouration, to seek immediate medical help at qualified healthcare facility as the disease could be fatal.
Mr Aaron Mensah, the Operations Manager of Pleasant Medical Centre, called for proper management and disposal of hospital waste.
