Buruli ulcer, leprosy not caused by witchcraft — Dormaa Central Health Director
The Dormaa Central Municipal Director of Health, Stephen Nyarko Ameyaw, has called on the public to disabuse their minds of the misconception that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are caused by witchcraft.
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He said the misconception that NTDs such as leprosy, buruli ulcer and elephantiasis among others were family diseases had compelled some family members to hide victims to worsen their plight.
Mr Ameyaw said the situation had led to the upsurge of the NTDs in some communities because victims were not allowed to seek medical attention.
"It is unfortunate that victims do not seek medical attention early enough for treatment to control these diseases," he said.
The Dormaa Central Municipality is one of the NTD endemic areas in the Bono Region with 30 out of the 68 communities having one or more of the neglected tropical diseases.
Since 2018, 60 buruli ulcer cases have been identified in the municipality, while 24 elephantiasis cases have been recorded since 2016.
This year, three cases of leprosy have been recorded in the municipality, thus raising concerns for measures to be put in place to control the increasing NTDs in the area.
Training
It is as a result of this that two non-governmental organisations, BasicNeed and Mission of Hope Society ((MIHOSO), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), organised a training programme for 22 health personnel and five volunteers in the municipality last Friday.
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The training was aimed at updating the knowledge of the health workers on the NTDs to enable them to educate the people so that victims would not be hidden but encouraged to seek medical attention at the early stages of the diseases.
The volunteers, who live in the affected communities, are to report suspected cases for health workers to make an early intervention.
The training was part of a project aimed at building a civil society coalition to advocate for an integrated approach to control skin NTDs and enhance the quality of life of the vulnerable and affected people in the country.
Project
The project, which is being funded by ANESVAD Foundation, is being implemented in 11 municipal and district assemblies (MDAs) in the Northern (Kumbungu and Savelugu), North East (Mamprugu Moagduri and West Mamprusi), Savanna (West Gonja and North Gonja), Upper East (Bolgatanga Municipality and Talensi District), Upper West, (Wa West and Lawra) and Bono (Dormaa Central) regions.
It is to train health workers and community volunteers on skin NTDs and establish Self-Help Peer Groups (SHGs) for people with skin NTDs, to promote self care and for peer and emotional support to members and other affected persons, among other aims.
Speaking during the training, Mr Ameyaw said it was laudable that volunteers had been included in the training programme to enable them to understand issues about the NTDs, and help break the myths surrounding those diseases.
He said it was only through such coordinated approaches that the NTDs could be confronted and urged the participants to use the knowledge gained during the training to identify cases for early treatment.
Surveillance, advocacy
For his part, the Dormaa Central Municipal Disease Control Officer, Daniel Kwame Owusu-Amponsah, said surveillance had been mounted in all communities in the area for early detection and treatment to avoid the deformity of the victims.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Operations of BasicNeed Ghana, Thomas Benarkuu, said as part of the project, the participating NGOs were engaging the targeted MDAs for the inclusion of people with skin NTDs to access financial grants from the District Assembly Disability Common Fund.
He added that small cash grants were also being provided as start-up for identified skin NTD victims to engage in productive/income-earning activities to meet their basic necessities and medical expenses.