Assembly educates schools on H1N1 influenza

The Agona West Municipal Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) have intensified public education on H1N1 influenza in the junior and senior high schools in the Municipality. A 10- member committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Felix Jacob Obeng-Forson, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) has drawn up a three-month programme to sensitise students, market women, drivers and other public institutions about the dangers of the swine flu. Mr. Raymond Kweku Tsotome, Agona West Municipal Director of NADMO told the Ghana News Agency at Agona Swedru on Monday that the committee had sensitise students at Swedru Senior High school, Swedru School of Business, Nyakrom Saddiqqi Senior and Junior High Schools, Swedru Salvation Army School for the Deaf and the AME Zion Primary and Junior High School. Other institutions that had benefited from the programme are Anglican Primary and Junior High schools, Aba International School at Agona Nyakrom, Swedru National Vocational Training Centre, Unique Senior High School and the Nana Khadija Girls Senior High School. More than 42 towns and villages in the Municipality had also been educated about the preventive measures to take to curb an outbreak of the swine flu. Mr. Tsotome said the committee had lined up radio talk shows, street announcement by the Information Services Department, film shows and durbars among other activities. He said students could play a leading role in the dissemination of information to their peers, friends, parents and other family members about the dangers of the swine flu. Mr. Obeng-Forson said the Assembly was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that effective awareness was created with civic participation to prevent the disease from spreading. He said the assembly would mobilise and co-ordinate human and material resources to work for the achievement of disaster management goals in the area. Mr. Obeng-Forson said adequate support and co-operation would be given to the Ghana Health Service to carry its sensitisation programmes. The MCE called on the citizenry to refrain from activities that could promote an outbreak of the disease in the Municipality since prevention was better than cure. Mr. Obeng-Forson therefore urged the people to report symptoms of the swine flu immediately to the nearest health facility.