Ghana: Cholera Outbreak - Aug 2014

In June 2014, a cholera outbreak was reported in Ghana. As of 18 Aug, 6,018 cases including 47 deaths (case fatality rate of 0.9%) had been reported from 34 districts in five regions. Greater Accra was the most affected region, with 5,558 cases and 45 deaths. As the numbers of cases were increasing rapidly, the Ghana Health Service requested the assistance of the Red Cross. (IFRC, 24 Aug 2014)

By the beginning of September, the number of cases had increased to over 15,000, including 126 deaths (UNICEF, 8 Sep 2014).

As of 19 Oct, a total of 23,622 cases including 190 deaths had been recorded. The disease had affected all the 10 regions of Ghana, Greater Accra being the most affected with 75 per cent of cases and 60 per cent of deaths. (WHO, 31 Oct 2014)

As at the end of 2014 (week 52), a total of 28,975 cases with 243 deaths were reported from 130 out of the 216 districts in all 10 regions. From the beginning of 2015 until 12 Apr, a total of 566 cases with five deaths had been reported from 26 districts in seven regions. Greater Accra region - the epicenter of the outbreak - continued to record new cases every week. (WHO, 12 Apr 2015)

By 3 May, cases had been on the decline for seven weeks; the total number of cases for 2015 stood at 581 with five deaths. (WHO, 3 May 2015) Cases continued to decline, with only three new cases and no deaths reported between 18-24 May, bringing the total to 591 cases (WHO, 24 May 2015).

Following massive flooding in Accra on 3 Jun, an upsurge of cases was reported, from zero cases in the two previous weeks to 25 cases with one death in the week ending 14 Jun. The cumulative total had increased to 618 cases with 5 deaths. (WHO, 14 Jun 2015)

During week 30 of 2015 (20 to 26 July 2015), no cholera case was reported in the country (no case in the country for two consecutive weeks) and for that matter zero case reported from Bongo district where an outbreak started in week 27. Greater-Accra Region has reported zero cholera case for five (5) consecutive weeks. (WHO, 26 July 2015)

Early August 2015, WHO informed that no cholera case had been reported in Accra for seven consecutive weeks, but warned of the persistance of risk factors for transmission as per the outbreak in Sunyani West district and the outbreak in the Bongo district of Upper East region. (WHO, 9 Aug 2015)

As of 13 September 2015, a cumulative total of 680 cases with 10 deaths had been reported from 33 districts in 9 regions for the year 2015, and no case had been reported in Greater Accra region for 12 consecutive weeks. (WHO, 13 Sep 2015)

By the end of September, there was no cholera case reported in the country during week 38, and no case reported in the Greater Accra region for 13 consecutive weeks. (WHO, 20 Sep 2015)