Over 50 food vendors on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology campus have undergone training on food contamination and poisoning.
This has become necessary especially when there have been jaw-breaking reports of the rising cholera cases in the country.
The sky-rocketing incidence rate of cholera deaths in the country has become a reason to worry by a huge section of the public including students.
In the country’s capital alone, over hundred people have died from the disease complemented by some deaths in Eastern, Volta, Ashanti and Central regions.
Spreading gradually, reports currently show over thousand people have already contracted the disease (which is caused by liquid waste; contracted by eating food or drinking water contaminated by the bacterium) nationwide.
Coupled with the recent happening of food poisoning at a fellow university in the central region (university of cape coast) where a student died as a result.
A number of students were reported to have been admitted at the school’s hospital because of what is believed to be food poisoning after they ate from a vendor at the school’s canteen.
The situation raised many questions about the health conditions surrounding the kind of food prepared and served to students.
School authorities were therefore compelled to close down all food shops and vendors in the university community.
Apparently the scare of such an incident occurring and probably the virtue of proactiveness could have attributed for KNUST taking this step.
The Student Representative Council Health and Welfare Committee spearheaded the initiative to prevent cholera and other sanitation related diseases.
SRC President, Duke Aaron Sasu, told LUV FM the next step of the exercise is to recommend to students vendors who conform to acceptable standards. He warns those whose activities put the health of students at risk will be expelled.
According to him, these vendors will undergo some certification programme to ascertain whether they meet some environmental, and health standards before they can sell to the students.
