Ghana has made significant progress in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), with several diseases eliminated as public health threats and others nearing elimination, Dr. Fred Adomako Mensah, Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has said.
Speaking at the celebration of World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, Dr. Mensah said the country’s achievements align with the global theme, “Unite, Act and Eliminate: Advancing Efforts to End Neglected Tropical Diseases.”
According to him, NTDs are a group of 21 bacterial, parasitic and viral diseases that thrive mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, affecting the world’s poorest populations.
Globally, the diseases impact about 1.7 billion people across 149 countries, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“Most of these diseases do not necessarily kill, but they make life extremely miserable,” Dr. Mensah noted. “They cause chronic sickness, disability, disfigurement and social stigma, which severely affect productivity and quality of life.”
He listed examples of NTDs including lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), schistosomiasis, trachoma, leprosy, guinea worm disease, rabies, scabies, dengue fever, yaws, Chagas disease, food-borne trematode infections and snakebite envenoming.
Out of the 21 globally recognized NTDs, 14 are present in Ghana and are being actively managed through national health programmes, he said.
Dr. Mensah revealed that Ghana has successfully eliminated guinea worm disease and trachoma as public health problems, while sleeping sickness and other conditions are on the verge of elimination. He added that lymphatic filariasis remains endemic in 116 out of the country’s 261 districts, though sustained interventions have led to significant reductions.
He explained that most NTDs in Ghana have been mapped by district based on endemicity, enabling targeted interventions and efficient use of resources.
At the global level, Dr. Mensah said 58 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, marking a halfway milestone toward the World Health Organization’s target of 100 countries by 2030.
He called for sustained collaboration among government agencies, development partners, health workers and communities to fully eliminate the diseases.
“The purpose of this day is to unite, act and eliminate,” he said. “With continued commitment, Ghana can free future generations from the burden of neglected tropical diseases.”
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is observed annually to raise awareness and mobilize action against diseases that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
