Subject: URGENT: Forensic Impact Analysis of Project 0079 & Request for the Immediate Reinstatement of Emergency WASH, Social Distancing, and Vaccination Protocols
Dear Director,
I am writing to you on behalf of Give Basic Needs to formally share the deeply concerning clinical findings from our recent medical deployment, designated as Project 0079. On April 19, 2026, our organization mobilized a coalition of local medical professional volunteers and our diaspora team to execute a comprehensive health screening and outreach event in Kpatinga, within the Gushegu municipality.
Our Forensic Impact Analysis of Project 0079 reveals a profound resource vacuum in our rural communities. The data demonstrates that a heartbreaking 1 in 15 individuals screened is currently living with a life-threatening viral load of Hepatitis B, HIV, or Hepatitis C. In response to this imminent threat, our medical teams executed emergency interventions on-site, immediately delivering 502 first-dose Hepatitis B vaccinations to seronegative individuals to establish immunological memory and block further transmission. We also distributed 600 sanitary pads and 300 male condoms to mitigate socio-economic vulnerability and provide a physical barrier against disease transmission.
However, we must respectfully bring a critical caveat to your attention: the staggering 1-in-15 statistic strictly accounts for these specific viral loads and does not reflect the total disease burden. Due to the accuracy limitations of certain rapid diagnostic tests in the field—such as the high false-positive rates of Widal diagnostic kits for Typhoid—pathogens like Malaria, Meningitis, and Typhoid were excluded from this specific metric. When we factor in the prevalence of these additional life-threatening diseases, particularly the Multi-Drug Resistant Salmonella Typhi Genotype 3.1.1 superbug and the seasonal threat of Meningitis A, the true magnitude of the crisis is exponentially worse.
To put the sheer scale of this emergency into perspective: We estimate based on our forensic data that if you gather a group of just 8 to 10 community members, statistically, one of them is harboring a potentially fatal infection and desperately needs our intervention to survive.
We must remember the heavy, lifelong toll of these illnesses. Much like HIV, once a person contracts Hepatitis B, the anti-viral medications required to sustain their health must continue indefinitely. If these medications run out, their lives are at immediate risk. Treating these diseases requires massive, continuous funding that is currently unavailable. Yet, we can prevent Hepatitis B right now for a cost of only about 30 Cedi per person.
This exponential growth in disease transmission is the tragic consequence of the abrupt withdrawal of United States foreign assistance. The permanent closure of USAID and the suspension of nearly $4 billion in global health programs and over $6 billion from HIV/AIDS (PEPFAR) initiatives have completely fractured the supply chains that provided our nation’s medical treatments. Without the consistent influx of antiretrovirals, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), and antibiotics, untreated illnesses are spreading rapidly throughout the country.
Because the international funding required to medically treat these diseases has evaporated, we can no longer rely on reactive treatment. Without immediate preventative action today, the unmitigated transmission of these diseases could devastate entire villages.
Therefore, Give Basic Needs urgently requests that the Public Health Directorate immediately deploy mass targeted vaccinations and reinstate COVID-19 type restrictions nationwide, specifically enforcing rigorous social distancing mandates and heightening strict WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) protocols.
To halt the exponential spread of these pathogens, we must utilize a dual strategy:
- Strict WASH Protocols & Physical Containment: WASH—defined fundamentally as the provision of safely managed drinking water via mechanized boreholes, the safe containment and treatment of human excreta (sanitation), and the strict practice of handwashing with soap at critical times—is our ultimate physical barrier against disease transmission. In the absence of viable antibiotic treatments for MDR strains of Typhoid, enforcing mandatory WASH stations, preventing mass gatherings, and restricting proximity in public spaces are statistically vital to physical containment.
- Aggressive Immunization: We must urgently prioritize high-leverage vaccinations to establish biological defenses in the population. Deploying the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) to combat the MDR Typhoid superbug, the Hepatitis B vaccine, and the MenAfriVac vaccine to prevent seasonal Meningitis A epidemics, is critical to neutralizing these threats before they require costly, currently unavailable reactive treatments.
The data from Kpatinga is a clear call for help. If aggressive physical barriers, strict WASH mandates, and preventative vaccinations are not deployed immediately to compensate for the loss of USAID-funded medical treatments, the cascading transmission rates will overwhelm the remaining healthcare infrastructure in the Northern Region.
We stand ready to support the Directorate in any capacity required to implement these emergency protocols and protect our communities. For immediate operational coordination and access to our forensic data, please contact our Country Director of Operations and Support, Salam Mahamadu, who is leading our on-the-ground efforts in Tamale.
Respectfully submitted,
Abbie Colussi BSW, BSN, RN President, Give Basic Needs Ghana LBG
For direct operational contact and coordination: Salam Mahamadu, Country Director of Operations and Support, Ghana Give Basic Needs (Ghana LBG)
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