Veronica Bekoe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Citizenship | Ghanaian |
| Education | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| Occupation | Biologist |
| Notable work | Veronica Bucket |
Veronica Ayele Bekoe is a biologist from Ghana. She is known for her impact in the invention of the Veronica bucket used to reduce the spread of communicable diseases. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Veronica started her basic education at the Government Girls School ( currently Independence Avenue Basic School) in Accra. She attended Aburi Girls SHS for her secondary education. [6] She later furthered her education at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where she obtained Bachelor of Science in Biological Science/Biology between 1968 – 1972. [7] [8] [9]
Her career in the Ghana Health Service (GHS) spanned from 1972-2008, working at the Public Health and Reference Laboratory, worked as a prime person for the National AIDS/STI Control Program and also has over 30 years' experience in medical laboratory practice. [10] [11] She has experience in laboratory management, development of training manuals, mentorship, development of guidelines for laboratory diagnostics among others. [12]
Veronica is noted for her invention of the Veronica bucket, a device was invented to curb or reduce the spread of diseases like cholera through handwashing cross-contamination. In 2020, the bucket was widely used in the African continent and the global community to fight the novel pandemic coronavirus disease COVID-19. [10] [13] Her discovery and invention of the veronica bucket was as a result of a problem or gap she identified in her field of work, she noticed that there was a challenge with running water and they had to use a bowl of water in turns to wash their hands after medical work which was very dangerous to their health because everyone had to use the same water until it becomes dirty, seeing the health implications she created a prototype bucket with a tap attached to an aluminium utensils used in selling Hausa koko, popularly known as Akorlaa gyae su which has now become the veronica bucket recognized globally. [8] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
She was given an award by Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo for her social innovation in combating infectious diseases using soap under running water. [19]
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The Veronica bucket is a mechanism for hand washing originating in Ghana which consists of a bucket of water with a tap fixed at the bottom, mounted at hand height, and a bowl at the bottom to collect waste water. The Veronica bucket was developed by Veronica Bekoe. The Veronica bucket serves as a simple way to encourage proper hand washing using flowing water. Bekoe in an interview stated that the bucket was originally made to help her and her colleagues wash their hands under running water after each lab session. She said, "We are used to washing hands in a bowl with others washing in the same water, which will do more harm than good." These colleagues were contaminating their hands rather than decontaminating them. In addition to the COVID benefit of hand washing, the Veronica bucket is also essential for areas where potable water is not readily available.
SolaWash is an automated and mobile hand washing machine powered by solar panels. It was invented by Richard Kwarteng and his team in Kumasi, Ghana. The Solar Wash machine was invited to fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic by not touching the tap before and after washing hands. Richard Kwarteng said he took inspiration from the veronica bucket when he and his team was inventing the solar wash.
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The Government of Ghana initially responded to the virus through a nationwide disinfection and fumigation exercise which began in April 2020. In order to curb the spread of the virus, the government enforced lockdowns, aggressive contact tracing, public bans and social measures such as encouraging the wearing of face masks. By April, it began the gradual reopening of the country; lifting all lockdowns while maintaining protocols such as social distancing. Throughout the pandemic, the government partnered with the private sector in order to roll out economic reliefs and recovery programs as a result of the impact of the pandemic on Ghana's economy. There was also an expansion of medical facilities and the improvement of testing logistics.
On 5 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) notified the world about "pneumonia of unknown cause" in China and subsequently followed up with investigating the disease. On 20 January, the WHO confirmed human-to-human transmission of the disease. On 30 January, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and warned all countries to prepare. On 11 March, the WHO said that the outbreak constituted a pandemic. By 5 October the same year, the WHO estimated that a tenth of the world's population had been infected with the novel virus.
