Environmental Health Officers and Assistants from four assemblies in the Upper East Region are undergoing a three-day training aimed at strengthening their ability to prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies.
The training, organised by the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Health Office and Municipal and District Environmental Health offices, focuses on One Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.
The current session, running from September 14 to 16, 2026, brings together environmental health personnel from the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Bongo, Talensi and Nabdam districts at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council in Bolgatanga.
Other municipalities and districts in the region have already completed their sessions.
The training is being facilitated by the Regional Environmental Health Officer, Charles Yinbil Awuni, and is expected to equip participants to better identify environmental and public health risks and respond effectively when emergencies occur.
The One Health approach recognises the connection between human, animal and environmental health and encourages collaboration across the three sectors in responding to health threats.
The approach is particularly relevant in addressing zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, environmental contamination and other public health threats that can move across human, animal and environmental systems.
Environmental Health Officers play a frontline role in identifying conditions that could contribute to disease outbreaks, including contaminated water, unsafe food, poor waste management and environments that encourage the spread of disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks.
During emergencies, they are also responsible for assessing environmental hazards, helping protect drinking water sources, monitoring food safety and supporting the proper management of wastewater and hazardous waste.
Their responsibilities also include inspecting facilities such as abattoirs, controlling disease vectors and working with other health professionals to protect communities during and after public health emergencies.
The three-day training is therefore expected to strengthen coordination among environmental, human and animal health professionals while improving the preparedness of environmental health personnel to respond to emergencies across the Upper East Region.
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