Accra: The Ghana Health Service (GHS), in collaboration with the Oti Regional Coordinating Council and under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, is stepping up efforts to respond to a sharp increase in Typhoid Fever cases in the region. The most affected districts include Biakoye, Krachi East, Krachi West, and Krachi Nchumuru.
According to Ghana News Agency, to address the situation, the Ministry has deployed the National Case Management Rapid Response Team to work alongside the regional health team to assess and contain the outbreak. In a press release signed by Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Acting Deputy Director-General of GHS, the Service reminded the public that typhoid fever is generally endemic in Ghana and is caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. The infection spreads through the faecal-oral route, typically when individuals consume food or water contaminated with the urine or faeces of an infected person.
Dr. Amissah outlined common symptoms of the disease, which include fever, chills, malaise, headache, sore throat, and abdominal pain, with or without diarrhoea. She urged the public to adhere strictly to preventive measures such as boiling drinking water before use, washing hands with soap under running water after toilet use and before meals, avoiding open defecation near streams or water sources, cooking food thoroughly, covering prepared meals, and avoiding unhygienic street foods, and participating in community clean-up campaigns to clear refuse from gutters, markets, and other public areas.
'We entreat the public to remain calm and follow expert advice from health personnel on the ground. Further details will be provided after the initial assessment, and measures will be instituted to protect lives in the affected districts and the region as a whole,' the statement said. Data from the Oti Regional Health Directorate indicates that the region has recorded 10,233 confirmed cases of typhoid fever in the first half of 2025, sparking urgent public health concern.
Regional Environmental Health Officer, Ms. Cynthia Sekyere, described the situation as alarming, citing poor sanitation, weak waste management systems, and limited access to safe drinking water as the major drivers of the outbreak.
