News
Media sensitised to rabies prevention
Dr. Gbene (in smock) with the media practitioners
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with Breakthrough Action in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service has organised a one day workshop on Rabies prevention, response and control risk communication for media personnel within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
The training was intended to throw more light on the rising cases of rabies, proper risk communication and how the media could help in the dissemination of the right information to the general public.
Addressing the media, the Veterinary Doctor in charge of the Western and Western North regions, Dr. Simon Gbene disclosed that children were more vulnerable to rabid dogs because they liked pets and would always like to play with these pets notwithstanding the disease these dogs were carrying.
He said rabies transmission was through scratches, the saliva or breathing orally in the case of entering a cave inhabited by many bats adding “bats carry rabies like dogs, cats, foxes and other animals.”
He said when someone got a bite from a rabid dog or cat it took four days to two years for the virus to come down depending on the volume and intensity of the virus and bite.
Dr. Gbene said a dog with rabies could bite and destroy about 100 birds within 10 days and the same applied to humans, too, because when the dog fully showed signs of rabies it would become so wild that any living thing that came its way would be bitten.
He said school children normally feared passing through areas where dogs were very common because of the barking or fear of being bitten.
He said the World declared zero rabies bites worldwide from 2018 to 2030 and Ghana had not been able to implement the campaign due to lack of stakeholder funding or sponsorship from foreign donors.
He said zoonotic diseases were diseases which were likely to attack both animals and humans, stressing that rabies was one of the zoonotic diseases, avian influenza also called bird flu, anthrax and sleeping sickness were all zoonotic diseases.
Dr. Gbene advised people even dog owners to desist from disturbing or trying to play with sleeping dogs, dogs taking their meals and those which had just littered because these classes of dogs were very aggressive and could bite their owners at the least provocation.
A representative of the USAID said the media had been earmarked as one of the major partners in the fight against the spread of rabies because they could collaborate with Ghana Health Service to disseminate information to the general public.
She said there was a very low awareness creation about rabies, low risk perception and low vaccination coverage for rabies.
From Peter Gbambila, Sekondi
The Tema Regional Police Command has intercepted 1,613 parcels of substances suspected to be narcotic drugs during an intelligence-led operation along the Akosombo–Tema road.
According to a press release issued by the Public Affairs Unit of the Ghana Police Service on January 13 2026, the operation formed part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking in the region.
The Police explained that on January 10 2026, intelligence was received that suspected narcotic drugs were being transported from the Volta Region towards Tema.
Following the information, police teams mounted surveillance along the route, with particular focus on the Agomeda Junction area.
The statement noted that at about 12:45 a.m. on January 11 2026, officers intercepted two vehicles a white Toyota Highlander with registration number GS 2013-13 and a black Mitsubishi Pajero with registration number GC 400-22.
The vehicles were being driven by two suspects, Isaac Odoi, aged 33, and Kwame Mani, aged 39.
A search conducted on the vehicles led to the discovery of several compressed yellow-wrapped parcels suspected to be narcotic drugs.
The suspects were arrested and the vehicles escorted to the police station for further action.
On January 12 2026, the suspects and the seized items were handed over to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department in Tema, where photographs and inventories were taken.
Police indicated that 872 parcels were retrieved from the Mitsubishi Pajero, while 741 parcels were found in the Toyota Highlander, bringing the total number of parcels seized to 1,613.
The suspects are currently in police custody assisting with investigations. The Police said samples of the substances will be sent to the Forensic Crime Laboratory for testing, while further searches will be carried out at the suspects’ residences.
Arrangements are also underway to process the suspects for court.
The Tema Regional Police Command reiterated its commitment to intensifying operations against drug trafficking and other criminal activities and urged the public to continue providing credible information to support police efforts.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Former Deputy Education Minister John Ntim Fordjour has hit back at Minister for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, accusing the government of what he described as arrogance of power over alleged LGBT content in school materials.
His response followed comments by Mr Kwakye Ofosu, who described Mr Fordjour as overzealous and prone to getting carried away in his advocacy.
The minister also argued that Mr Fordjour was part of the government when the curriculum in question was introduced.
Reacting to the remarks, Mr Fordjour rejected the criticism and accused the government of insulting parents who had raised concerns about the content of textbooks and teacher manuals used in schools.
According to him, parents voted for the current government on the belief that it would protect Ghanaian values and shield children from LGBT related content in education.
He argued that the same government had now allowed materials that discuss gender beyond male and female and topics he described as sexual in nature to be introduced into classrooms.
Mr Fordjour claimed the government had been caught red handed and had even admitted plans to remove the content, yet continued to dismiss critics as being overzealous.
He stressed that parents had every right to be alarmed, noting that lessons taught in school often carry more weight than what children hear at home, in churches, or in mosques. He warned that once such ideas are taught in school, they are difficult to undo.
The former deputy minister maintained that being vigilant, even if described as overzealous, was necessary to protect children and preserve Ghanaian cultural values. He added that many parents across the country shared these concerns and would continue to speak out.
Mr Fordjour further accused the government of betraying its campaign promises and using public funds to print what he described as LGBT laced textbooks, while dismissing parents who questioned the move.
He concluded that the backlash from parents was not extremism but a natural response to what he viewed as a threat to the values and mindset of the younger generation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
