LCB Worldwide Ghana Limited has partnered with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to undertake a large-scale fumigation exercise in parts of Accra to help prevent disease outbreaks during the rainy season.

The exercise, carried out on Saturday, formed part of the National General Cleaning Exercise announced by President John Dramani Mahama following the recent floods that affected several parts of the country.

Under LCB Worldwide Ghana’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, markets, transport terminals and other public places within the Korle Klottey Municipality were fumigated to reduce the risk of sanitation-related diseases such as cholera, malaria and typhoid.

The initiative also supports the government’s renewed commitment to improving environmental sanitation and promoting healthier communities.

Speaking during the exercise, the Lead for Partnerships and Programmes at LCB Worldwide Ghana, Mr Fiifi Buabeng-Baiden, said the company was committed to supporting public health interventions beyond its core mandate of providing disease prevention and disinfection services at Ghana’s ports and airports.

He said the partnership with the Ghana Health Service reflected the company’s commitment to safe-guarding the health of Ghanaians.

“Our partnership with the Ghana Health Service means we support its mandate to protect public health. By disinfecting markets and other disease hotspots, we are helping to prevent outbreaks and ensure the safety of the public as part of our corporate social responsibility,” he said.

Mr Buabeng-Baiden noted that the exercise formed part of a series of interventions the company had undertaken nationwide, including the fumigation of schools, markets, ministries, departments and agencies.

He recalled the company’s contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it partnered the government to disinfect numerous public facilities and treatment centres.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, described the exercise as a timely preventive measure against possible disease outbreaks.

He said although Ghana had not recorded any cholera outbreak, it was important to act before infections occurred.

“We do not need to wait for an outbreak before taking action. Prevention is far less costly than treating diseases after they occur. Outbreaks overwhelm hospitals, disrupt economic activities and can result in loss of lives,” he stated.

Dr Akoriyea commended LCB Worldwide Ghana for supporting the health service’s preventive healthcare efforts through the partnership.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Korle Klottey, Mr Alfred Allotey-Gaisie, also praised the initiative and urged residents, traders and transport operators to complement the exercise by maintaining clean surroundings.

He said the fumigation exercise would continue in other parts of the municipality, including Odawna and Osu, to minimise the risk of disease outbreaks.

LCB Worldwide Ghana Limited has over the years supported public health initiatives through the fumigation of senior high schools, markets and health facilities under its CSR programme and played a key role in disinfecting COVID-19 treatment and holding centres during the pandemic.