In a bid to promote public health and uphold food safety standards, the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit (EHSU) of the Keta Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with Jeanesther Medical Services, organized a comprehensive medical screening exercise for food and drink handlers, herbal medicine sellers, distillers, and millers within the municipality.

The exercise, held from 17th February to 31st March 2025, formed part of the Assembly’s annual public health initiative in compliance with Sections 51 to 53 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) and the Keta Municipal Assembly Bye-Laws. It aimed to identify and manage potential carriers of communicable diseases, particularly typhoid fever, which can be transmitted through unsafe food handling, while ensuring vendors meet health certification requirements.

The screening was conducted at different designated centers across the municipality, including:

• Vui Community Center (17th February – 19th March 2025)
• Tettekope (20th – 21st February 2025)
• Dzelukope PWD Yard (24th – 26th February 2025)

Hospitality industries and schools providing food services were also covered.

Vendors underwent both physical examinations—checking hand nails, nostrils, cough, ears, and skin—and laboratory tests, including blood screening for typhoid using the Widal test. A total of 648 vendors were screened, out of which 615 were certified medically fit, while 33 tested positive and were promptly referred for further medical attention. Health education sessions on personal hygiene, safe food handling, and environmental sanitation were integrated into the exercise.

Despite the overall success, a few challenges were recorded, including late arrivals by participants, language barriers, poor personal hygiene among some vendors, low awareness about the exercise’s importance, and reluctance by some individuals to submit blood samples. Follow-up on referred cases also faced logistical and financial hurdles.

The Assembly has recommended improved community mobilization, intensified health education using local languages, and regular inspections to sustain food safety efforts. Future screenings, it proposed, should be subsidized or fully sponsored to encourage wider participation, especially among low-income vendors.

The Keta Municipal Assembly commended the collaborative effort and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding public health through continuous monitoring and community-based interventions.