No deaths have been reported following the recent typhoid outbreak in the Oti region, the Oti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Kofi Amo-Kodieh has clarified.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, August 27, the Oti Regional Director of Health Services noted the Service is yet to receive an official confirmation over the death claims.

He further called on the public to desist from spreading misinformation and to have trust in the Service to find a lasting solution to the outbreak.

According to him, the Service has implemented measures to manage the outbreak.

“So far, we have no record of anyone dying from this outbreak. Our health education campaigns have helped people seek care on time, which is crucial in managing typhoid.

“As a medical professional, when someone dies, I rely on the official medical cause of death. I have not received any information confirming that anyone has died from this outbreak.

He added: “People may assume a death is caused by typhoid, but the only way to know the exact cause is through a medical certificate of cause of death. Until that is confirmed, we cannot say for certain.”

The clarification is a response to claims that a traditional leader and a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Dambai lost their lives to the disease. The Oti Region has recorded 10,233 cases of typhoid in the first half of 2025.

Environmental Health Officer Cynthia Sekyere revealed that two out of every twenty people selected in Oti suffer from typhoid fever.

“Just in the first and second quarters of typhoid, we have recorded 10,233 cases of typhoid, which is quite troubling. Deducing from the report of the Ghana Health Service, out of every 20 people selected in the Oti Region, 2 of them have typhoid,” she noted.

She continued that as part of the measures to deal with this alarming surge, health authorities are set to roll out a task force to enforce strict community sanitation.

She associated the task force's role with that of what was previously called the town council, where personnel of the local government task force used to conduct house-to-house inspections to monitor hygiene standards in homes and surroundings. They ensured compliance with sanitation bylaws, issuing fines or warnings for poor conditions, among other responsibilities.

However, the practice of the town council gradually became unpopular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, following changes in the local governance structure. Consequently, resource constraints and a lack of personnel to sustain regular inspections eventually phased it out. The Oti Region now intends to revive it.

In addition, Oti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Bismarck Owusu, has attributed the spike in typhoid cases to poor sanitation practices such as open defecation, indiscriminate waste disposal, and contaminated water sources. He stressed that sanitation is not just an environmental problem but a health emergency requiring swift action.

He commended the formation of the task force, describing it as a “timely intervention” and a “game-changer” in reducing the region’s outbreak burden. He also called on traditional leaders, assembly members, and youth groups to support the enforcement of sanitation bylaws and help drive behavioural change.

Municipal Chief Executive for Krachi West and Dean of MMDCEs in the Oti Region, Prosper Addo, also expressed concern about the impact of the outbreak on vulnerable groups. He pledged that municipal and district assemblies would roll out initiatives to curb the spread while stressing the need for residents’ active participation.

“The outbreak is hitting vulnerable populations the hardest. Community involvement is essential in promoting hygiene practices and supporting efforts to curb this public health challenge. We can only win this fight if communities themselves adopt good sanitation and hygiene practices,” Addo urged.

Typhoid statistics in Oti in the last few years: progress or worsening cases

The 2025 typhoid cases represent the highest since 2020. Since then, the Oti Region has recorded a disturbing rise in typhoid cases, with occasional declines between 2020 and 2025.

In 2020, the region recorded 1,853 confirmed cases of typhoid fever. However, in 2021, the situation escalated sharply, with cases surging to 5,807—an increase of 3,954 cases, representing a staggering 213.4% rise compared to the previous year. This spike was largely attributed to deteriorating sanitation conditions and improved diagnostic capacity across health facilities.

The upward trend continued into 2022, with 6,242 cases, an increase of 435 over 2021, representing a 7.49% rise. In 2023, the numbers showed some improvement after the huge rise in previous years, particularly in 2021.

Data from January to June showed a slight decline with 4,935 cases reported in the first half of the year. This represented a decrease of 1,307 cases from the full-year total of 2022, amounting to a 20.94% drop.

Following that decline, late 2024 saw a troubling escalation in typhoid cases in the Oti Region, though exact figures for the period were not publicly broken down.

However, reports from early 2025 described the situation in Dambai, the regional capital, as “bad” and “scary,” with the disease spreading rapidly and claiming lives, including those of a traditional chief and a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).

What is typhoid

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, commonly referred to as Salmonella Typhi. The disease is primarily transmitted through the ingestion of food or water contaminated with faeces or urine from infected individuals. It is mostly prevalent in areas with poor sanitary conditions, unsafe drinking water, and inadequate hygiene practices—conditions especially common in areas with limited financial, medical, or infrastructural resources.

Symptoms of typhoid typically appear between one and three weeks after exposure. These include a high fever, persistent headache, and general fatigue.

Patients may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation or diarrhoea. In some cases, rose-coloured spots may appear on the chest, and the spleen and liver can become enlarged as the infection progresses.

In severe cases, where the disease is left untreated or poorly treated, complications may occur, which can lead to death. Even after apparent recovery, approximately 2 to 5 per cent of individuals become chronic carriers of the bacteria.

These carriers continue to shed Salmonella Typhi in their stool or urine, posing a risk of transmission to others and contributing to the persistence of the disease in affected communities.