Epidemiologists with support from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Fred Newton Binka School of Public Health of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has embarked on a 2-day free health screening for displaced people at Mepe in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.
The move by these professionals do not only serve as part of their contribution to victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage which created flooding situation but also to create awareness on the significance of Field Epidemiologists’ contribution to health care delivery in the country.
About 500 people from Mepe and its environs were screened on diabetes, hypertension, malaria, typhoid fever, obesity, body mass index and vaccination of dogs and cats against rabies and other animals related diseases.
The leader and President of Field Epidemiologists and Laboratory Alumni Network of Ghana (FELANG), Dr. Grace Adjoa Ocansey said the screening exercise forms part of activities to mark World Epidemiology Day. She said it paves way for them to exhibit their professional skills in combating outbreaks of diseases as frontliners.
She noted that Field Epidemiologists are public health specialists trained specifically to respond to outbreaks of diseases that emerge. They are also referred to as public health emergency response agents.
Dr. Adjoa Ocansey stressed that any health threats that happen in the country, Field Epidemiologists are quickly signaled to tackle such threats, saying during the Covid-19 pandemic, Field Epidemiologists were mostly seen up-front supporting the surveillance department of Ghana Health Service to investigate and trace contacts of victims. This, Dr. Adjoa Ocansey said, enabled health professionals in the country to curb the disease.
The President of Epidemiologists pledged the continuous support of her outfit to fight any outbreaks of diseases when called to duty. She therefore urged government to ensure that Covid-19 levy is used as public emergency fund rather than relying solely on benevolence of public-spirited organizations for support.
A Snr. Lecturer at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. William Kofi Tasiame called for collaboration among Medical Health Professionals and Animal Health Professionals to strengthen the health status of both human beings and animals since people would not stop consuming meat and milk from animals.
Dr. Kofi Tasiame, a veterinarian noted with concern the need for routine health screening for both human and animals. He said animals need to be medically fit for consumption and it is only a Veterinary health staff who can guarantee such fitness in animals.
According to him, diseases like rabies can easily be transferred from animals to human beings through consumption and therefore called on owners of dogs and cats to ensure regular checks on their animals to allay the fears of consumers.
An Opinion leader at Mepe, Sampson Kwame Hlorlewu expressed satisfaction about the health screening exercise, saying it’s timely since people of Mepe were hard hit during the flooding situation as thousands were displaced and their properties lost to the water. He appealed to other health institutions to equally do same to enable them be medically fit to carry on with their daily life.
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Story by Robert Abilba
