YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION BEGINS IN NR TODAY

(Daily Graphic, Nov 22, 2011, Back Page)

HEALTH authorities in the Northern Region, where yellow fever claimed a life, are set to commence a vaccination exercise today, Tuesday, November 22, 2011 to curb the spread of the yellow fever disease.

Dr Jacob Mahama

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that there should be a reactive vaccination in various parts of the country following confirmations that five persons were infected with yellow fever in some parts of the country.

The vaccination exercise would take place in 43 districts countrywide.

In the Northern Region, the vaccination would be carried out in six districts that have been considered as high risk due to their proximity to Wa and Cote d’Ivoire, where there has been an outbreak of yellow fever.

The districts are the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Bole, Central Gonja, West Gonja, East Gonja and West Mamprusi.

Briefing the Daily Graphic on the vaccination exercise, the Deputy Northern Regional Health Director in Charge of Public Health, Dr Jacob Mahama said the vaccines had been distributed to the districts, pending the commencement of the vaccination exercise, which is scheduled to end on 28th November, 2011.

“We would be vaccinating persons who are 10 years and above. We are not including those below, because the assumption is that this group was already vaccinated as part of the routine EPI,” he explained.

Dr Mahama mentioned that on August 20, this year, a 16-year-old boy, reported at a clinic in Sawla in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district with complaints of fever, chills, vomiting and abdominal pains.

He said after examinations, he was referred to the Wa Hospital in the Upper West Region, where he died the next day.

“However, the blood sample of the patient was sent to Accra and later to Dakar, Senegal, in September this year where it was found to be positive for yellow fever,” he noted.

Dr Mahama said following the confirmation of the yellow fever case, a team from the Regional Health Directorate, comprising disease control officers, clinician, doctor, epidemiologists and health promotion officer, was dispatched to Sawla.

The team, he noted, undertook a search for other cases, by reviewing the records in all the facilities.

He said the team found no other case, but sensitised the health staff in the district and the community on yellow fever, its symptoms and causes.

Yellow fever, as explained by Dr Mahama, is an acute viral fever with symptoms that include fever, chills, vomiting and jaundice.

It’s a disease prevalent in Tropical Africa and South America, because the Aedes mosquito which transmits this virus breeds in the tropics.

Twenty to thirty per cent of patients who suffer from severe yellow fever lose their lives.

The best ways to avoid yellow fever is through vaccination and by avoiding the bite of a mosquito.

CURB TENSION BETWEEN FULANI HERDSMEN AND COMMUNITIES

(Daily Graphic, Nov 18, 2011, page 17)

THE West African Network for Peace-building, WANEP-Ghana, has called on the government to institute a more pragmatic and sustained mechanism to address the increasing tensions between Fulani herdsmen and their host communities.

It warned that sooner or later, these tensions, if not properly managed, could pose serious threats to the nation’s security.

In its quarterly release to the press signed by the National Network Co-ordinator of WANEP-Ghana, Mr Justin Bayor, the organisation mentioned farmer-pastoralists conflicts as one of the potential security threats picked up by its early warning system.

It said the tensions between herdsmen and farmers in areas such as Asante-Akim-North (Agogo) municipality and the East and West Gonja districts were an indication of what could happen in the near future.

It however called on people living in communities where the Fulani herdsmen operate to exercise restraint, whiles government finds lasting solution to this emerging threat.

WANEP-Ghana is currently hosting a web-based early warning system, known as ‘GhanaWarn’, which tracks conflict and human security related issues in the form of incident and situational reports from various parts of the country.

‘GhanaWarn’ is being funded by the Department for International Development (DfID), through the Sustainable Peace Initiative (SPI) and the Christian Aid.

According to WANEP-Ghana, armed robbery and the movement of sophisticated arms into the country were the two other potential national security threats picked up by its early warning system.

“We noted that armed robbery as a threat started in July and became intense in the month of August and is witnessing a change in tactics by the robbers. On three occasions the robbers fired directly into buses loaded with passengers,” the release read.

On the threat posed by the smuggling of arms into the country, the organisation noted that the emphasis of the threat was on where such arms were being trafficked from, their destination, sophistication and the dangers these arms pose to communities where there are unresolved conflicts.

“For example, the police arrested a man at Sabon Gare in the Bawku Municipality for possessing 12 rounds of 9mm pistol ammunition, 21 rounds of Mark Four ammunition, 78 rounds of G3 ammunition and 892 rounds of AK47 assault rifle,” the release indicated.

It further mentioned that an AK47 and six magazines loaded with 366 rounds of ammunitions were retrieved recently in Gushegu in the Northern Region from two Fulani men suspected to be armed robbers.

“Whereas WANEP-Ghana commends the police and some communities for their efforts including dawn swoops in an attempt to weed out criminals from their hideouts, we indicate that these incidents are still threats to security with higher potentials of existence so long as the structural causes are not addressed,” the release said.

WANEP-Ghana therefore called on the government and civil society groups to help increase the manpower and logistical capacity of the security services.

It also entreated the police to continue with its efforts towards implementing the National Community Policing System to help curb highway and community crimes.

CREATION OF NEW DISTRICTS TO ENHANCE POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION

 (Daily Graphic, Nov 11, 2011, Page 17)

THE Northern Regional Minister, Mr Bukari Moses Mabengba has stated that the creation of the six new districts in the Northern Region would enhance the political administration of the region.

He said this development would not only deepen decentralisation, but also serve as a catalyst for the transformation of many communities in the region, which hitherto gained very little from the national kitty.

The minister mentioned that he had already set in motion a process to access the needs of the new districts so that the government could plan how to support these districts when they are inaugurated.

“I have commissioned two assessment teams, one led by my deputy and the other by me. We are ascertaining, among other things, which facilities are available in all these areas for administrative purposes,” he explained.

Mr Mabengba made these remarks on Tuesday when the chiefs and people of the Tatale and Sangule areas paid a courtesy call on him to express.

As per the announcement by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the number of districts in the Northern Region would increase from 18 to 24 when the newly created districts are approved.

The new districts are Kumbungu, Mamprugu/Madugu, Tatale/Sangule, Doboya, Sanerigu and Mion districts.

The Northern Region is the largest in the country occupying about one-third of the country’s land mass and due to this, its administration had often posed a challenge to various political and administrative heads in the region.

“A region of such size requires more administrative districts so as to make local government effective,” Mr Mabenga stated.

He said the increase in the number of districts would also bring about the devolution of political power to the grassroots and thereby ensure their participation in decision making.

On the disagreements generated in some communities regarding some of the newly-created districts, the minister said such concerns were to be expected.

“Anytime, new districts are created, we always have pockets of dissenting voices, especially regarding the choice of capital twons,” he said.

He however noted that there was no cause for alarm because such disagreements were being managed effectively and would not be prolonged.

The minister urged the chiefs and traditional heads of the newly created districts to forge a concerted effort to lift their communities out of poverty and joblessness.

“Your districts can only move forward if you are willing to work hand in hand with the assembly to lobby for projects, generate funds, and also ensure the smooth implementation of all projects in your localities,” he said.

“But most of all, you must eschew any divisive tendencies and work towards maintaining peace by addressing, amicably, any differences that may emerge among yourselves,” he further stated.

In a statement read on behalf of the paramount chiefs of the Tatale and Sangule areas, they lauded the government for giving them a district of their own, noting that it would enhance development in that part of the region.

They expressed gratitude to the regional minister, stressing that the creation of the Tatale/Sangule district would not have been possible without his personal intervention and support.

“We will remain grateful to you and the NDC government for delivering to us our share of the government’s Better Ghana Agenda,” the statement read.

SADA MUST NOT FAIL - AL-HASSAN

(Daily Graphic, Nov 11, 2011, Page 48)

THE board chairman of the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a pro-development organisation working in the north, Prof Abubakar Al-Hassan has cautioned the government not to let the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) become a failure.

According to him, the people of the north were having high expectations about the proposed interventions of SADA and would therefore be disappointed in the government if this initiative turns out to be a delusion.

Prof Al-Hassan gave this caution at a durbar to mark the annual ‘Denmark Seminar’, which is a developmental platform that brings various development partners, including policy makers, civil society organisations and community leaders, to brainstorm on pertinent development matters.

Whiles the ‘Denmark Seminar’ is held in Ghana, a similar forum is also held in Denmark, dubbed the ‘Ghana Seminar’, where a number of issues relating to Ghana’s development are equally discussed by Ghana’s development partners in that country.

The GDCA and various organisations in Denmark have enjoyed years of fruitful relationship and this resulted in a number of initiatives including these annual development forums.

Discussions at this year’s ‘Denmark Seminar’ focused on the theme: “Making Savannah Accelerated Development Authority work for accelerating the development of Northern Savannah of Ghana.”

Prof Al-Hassan said the focus on SADA was very appropriate because the topical issue at the moment was whether SADA could deliver on its mandate by transforming the north.

He said a number of government and private sector interventions had been introduced in the past to turn the fortunes of the north around, but limited success had been achieved.

Prof Al-Hassan made mention of the Upper Region Agricultural Development Programme (URADEP) and the Northern Region Rural Integrated Development Programme (NORRIP).

“There is no doubt that these programmes contributed significantly to the development of the north. Unfortunately, these interventions were not enough to turn things around. The period of intervention needed to have been sustained for a longer time and more resources committed to them,” he noted.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the seminar, the participants lauded government for its commitment to narrow the development gap between the north and south.

They however cautioned that the allocation of resources from government and development partners for the north should not be replaced with SADA.

“SADA should be resourced on top of normal government sources. Otherwise, the widening development gap between the north and the south of Ghana will continue to grow,” they stated.

The participants also recommended that efforts be made to ensure that SADA’s interventions adequately address gender issues pertaining to the north.

They stressed the need for local people in SADA’s beneficiary areas to be given the opportunity to participate in decision making regarding SADA’s interventions instead of forcing programmes on them.

TRENTINO PARTNERS TAMALE HOSPITAL - To Treat Children with Brain Disorder

(Daily Graphic, Nov 11, 2011, Page 19)

GHANA and Trentino, an Autonomous Province of Italy, have entered into a partnership to repair a brain disorder in children known as hydrocephalus, which has resulted in many children in Ghana living with mental disabilities and abnormal head sizes.

As part of the partnership, a group of physicians, comprising neurosurgeons and doctor anaesthetists, arrived in Ghana last week and commenced surgical operations on children living with the condition.

The visiting doctors are performing the operations at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) together with other specialised and general surgeons working at that hospital.

This would enable the visiting doctors impart the knowledge and skills on this surgical procedure to their Ghanaian counterparts to enable the latter continue to perform such procedures when the visiting team departs.

Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy, Her Excellency Ms Anita Evelyn Stokes-Hayford led the medical team to Ghana, which also included Trentino’s Minister for Solidarity and Co-existence, Lia G. Beltrani.

The team met and had discussions with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe and other management staff of the TTH.

Ambassador Stokes-Hayford said as part of the partnership arrangement, a sister-city relationship would be fostered between Trentino and one district in Ghana, which is yet to be selected.

She said Ghana and Italy had a long standing relationship which dates back to the era of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, during which a diplomatic mission was established in Italy.

On her part, Ms Beltrani said the government of Trentino would continue to make available medical equipment and other logistics to the TTH to assist them in treating children living with hydrocephalus.

She said hydrocephalus was a dangerous medical condition that caused psychological handicap for many children in Africa.

“Those who grow up with this condition develop complications in the future because it hinders the development of the brain,” she stated.

Ms Beltrani said Trentino had some of the best neurosurgeons the world could boast of and would therefore use these physicians to assist Ghana in improving neurosurgical operations in the country.

Dr Sagoe lauded the decision to undertake the surgeries in Tamale, noting that the people of the north were in dire need of such medical assistance.

He said already, the visiting doctors had started to examine some of the patients, whiles preparations were underway to commence the operations.

Hydrocephalus refers to a medical condition where there is an abnormal build up of fluid on parts of the brain which leads to a number of complications including enlargement of the head and mental disability.

The condition is also referred to as ‘water in the brain’.