Oti Region Battles Deadly Typhoid Surge: Over 10,000 Cases and Rising Death Toll

The Oti Region is in the grip of a severe typhoid fever outbreak, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases recorded in just the first half of 2025. According to data from the Regional Health Directorate, 4,417 cases were documented in the first quarter and 5,816 in the second, marking one of the region’s most serious public health emergencies in recent years.

The human toll of the outbreak has been particularly alarming. The Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong, has revealed that typhoid has claimed the lives of prominent figures in the region, including a traditional leader, the Asafoatse of the Dambai Traditional Council, and a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Dambai. The Minister described the situation in the regional capital as both dire and frightening, warning that the disease is spreading rapidly across communities and causing multiple fatalities.

Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi, spreads through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. In Ghana, especially in rural and peri-urban areas, structural weaknesses in sanitation, poor waste management, and reliance on untreated water sources drive transmission. Open defecation, informal food vending practices, and seasonal flooding that spreads human waste into rivers and streams all heighten the risk. Once contracted, the infection presents with prolonged fever, abdominal pain, weakness, and headaches, and can be fatal without prompt treatment.

The situation in Oti Region illustrates how sanitation gaps directly fuel disease outbreaks. Although the Regional Council has led six months of hygiene education campaigns, compliance with safe practices has been limited. Authorities have since launched a sanitation task force to strengthen waste disposal systems, enforce environmental health laws, and expand access to safe drinking water. Yet enforcement remains a challenge, as past efforts to summon sanitation offenders have often failed to secure compliance.

Health advocates stress that tackling typhoid requires more than education. Stronger investment in clean water infrastructure, better monitoring of food safety, and strict enforcement of sanitation regulations are crucial. Equally important is empowering communities to take responsibility for their environment, while government ensures that safe water and proper waste management are accessible to all.

The surge of typhoid in the Oti Region represents more than a health crisis; it underscores the urgent need for structural interventions. Losing community leaders and public officials to a disease that is both preventable and treatable underscores the urgent need for systemic change. Clean water, proper sanitation, and strong enforcement of environmental laws are not luxuries; they are fundamental to protecting lives.

If we can prevent future outbreaks of this scale, communities, policymakers, and health authorities must act decisively and collectively. The cost of inaction is clear: every delay in addressing sanitation and safe water access is another life put at risk. Without urgent and sustained action, the disease will continue to claim lives, disrupt livelihoods, and undermine community resilience.