Mr Bright Alomatu, the Desk Officer of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Programme has called for emergency measures to curb elephantiasis spread in the Bono East Region.
He said Nkoranza South district recorded elephantiasis in 2021, saying if urgent measures were not put in place, it could spread in the region.
Mr Alomatu made the call when speaking at a stakeholder’s sensitization meeting on measures to mitigate the spread of NTDs organised by the programme and held at Techiman, the regional capital.
He indicated that risk of transmission in affected areas was always high, saying because the disease was spread by mosquitoes there was the need for people to sleep under treated mosquito nets to avoid bites and kept their surroundings always clean to not create breeding ground mosquitoes.
“Once the parasite gets into the human body the likelihood of being infected is high,” he stated, adding it was therefore prudent for everybody to protect themselves against mosquito bites by endeavouring to sleep under treated nets.
The Ghana Health Service and all stakeholders must also put measures to stem the spread of the disease in the Nkoranza South District.
Mr Alomatu further called for intensify public awareness creation on prevention methods and make the public understand the immediate symptoms of elephantiasis and urged an effective collaboration between healthcare providers, local authorities, and communities in controlling the spread of the disease.
Mr Solomon Atinbire, the Programme Manager for the American Leprosy Mission called for an urgent need to support individuals affected by elephantiasis in the country.
He also called on the government to include affected people to benefit from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program, saying that would provide financial assistance to them.
They must also be registered to benefit from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to access free medical care.
Mr Atinbire noted that people affected by elephantiasis faced a myriad of challenges in engaging in economic activities due to their condition.
GNA
DEN/KOA/LAA
10 Oct 2024
