Earlier this October, the SPRINGS project team visited Akuse, a fast-growing community in Ghana's Lower Manya Krobo district, marking a key milestone in the project’s progress. The visit provided an opportunity to review current activities and set future plans, including water surveillance efforts in this case study site, which are set to begin soon.
SPRINGS project partners, both local and international, came together to explore how diarrhoeal disease surveillance could contribute to gathering essential data for economic evaluations, helping shape future interventions. The team also connected with local stakeholders, including health economists experienced in working closely with Ghana’s governmental officers, establishing a valuable link between the project and key policy makers.
Visits to the Akuse District Hospital and a primary health care clinic gave the team important insights into local water-related health risks, such as the community’s changing access to clean water, and how patients with waterborne illnesses are managed across different health facilities. These insights will inform strategies to reduce health risks related to waterborne diseases.
A key highlight of the visit was a workshop on Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) and water safety planning, led by the SPRINGS project partner, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The workshop brought together local officials, community leaders from Akuse, and representatives from the Ghana Water Company, fostering discussions on how to strengthen water management systems and better protect the community from future climate-related risks.
Overall, this visit to Ghana highlights the collaborative efforts of the SPRINGS project to build safer, more resilient water systems, ensuring that communities like Akuse are better prepared for the challenges ahead.
About the project:
SPRINGS is an EU-funded project focused on addressing the impact of climate change on waterborne diarrheal diseases. Diarrheal diseases are currently the third leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age globally. Compounded by global climate projections indicating increased precipitation, flooding, and drought, there is a looming threat to the progress made in reducing diarrheal disease burden. To inform and prioritise effective political responses, SPRINGS is building 4 case studies in Italy, Ghana, Romania, and Tanzania with contrasting vulnerabilities.