Accra, Feb. 6, GNA - Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service with support from the United States Information Development would for the next two years fight five of the ancient neglected tropical diseases that have burdened humanity for centuries.
The programme would cover all the 26 endemic districts in the Northern and Upper West Regions where pockets of trachoma could be identified, as well as 61 districts in eight regions where Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis) could be found, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said on Tuesday. Five of the ancient neglected tropical diseases 96 Trachoma; Lymphatic Filariasisl; Onchocerciasis; Schistosomiasis and intestinal worms - are associated with poverty and poor environment. Opening a three-day stakeholders meeting on Strategic Planning on Neglected Tropical Disease Programme in Accra, Prof. Akosa said the link of these diseases with poverty was so strong that their prevalence could serve as proxy indicator of the level of a country's socioeconomic development.
He noted that the effect of these diseases had a great burden on home care; low school enrolment; low agricultural productivity; inefficient land use and food insecurity. Prof. Akosa, therefore, called on Politicians to realise their role in eliminating the five ancient diseases and afflictions since the fight against these neglected diseases could be better achieved in a combined effort.
He explained that as Ghana was moving towards a total decentralized State, there was the need to disabuse the minds of District Chief Executives, Assembly Members and Members of Parliament on the use of money for development in their areas.
"They should contribute part of their share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund to fight the diseases in their areas so that their people will enjoy good health and appreciate their efforts more for more of them live in the rural areas."
At least one billion people worldwide currently suffer from one or more of these diseases and more than 40 million people are permanently incapacitated and disfigured by lymphatic filariasis alone. In Africa alone, about 30 million people with schistosomiasis suffer permanent and life threatening complications.
Prof. John Gyapong, Director of the Health Research Unit of the Ghana Health Service, noted that at the national level, the diseases were hidden in remote areas and were poorly documented for prioritization and health interventions.
They were kept away due to stigma; lack of visibility at the international level and neglect by research and development, he said. He noted that research had shown that safe and effective drugs were available for their cure.
"The research has also shown that some of these drugs bring added benefits such as nutritional status and micronutrient uptake. The benefits support the very foundations of better health status in impoverished populations."
Prof. Gyapong commended the stakeholders for coming together to combat these diseases and to reduce the levels of transmission. "A sense of corporate social responsibility on the part of industry and governments can be harnessed to make essential interventions accessible to populations."
Prof. Alan Fenwick of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative of the St. Mary's University, London, who gave the global overview, noted that safe and effective drugs existed but were not affordable to those who needed them or governments of poor countries.
He said six pharmaceutical companies had agreed to contribute to supply the drugs and said 250 million dollars would be needed yearly to deliver these drugs to people and countries that needed them. Prof. Fenwick called for collaboration between countries on disease programmes; training of distributors for multiple interventions; country specific solutions and monitoring of events.
Other supporters include Department for International Development of the UK; World Health Organisation; World Bank and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 6 Feb. 07
Accra, Feb. 6, GNA - Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service with support from the United States Information Development would for the next two years fight five of the ancient neglected tropical diseases that have burdened humanity for centuries.
The programme would cover all the 26 endemic districts in the Northern and Upper West Regions where pockets of trachoma could be identified, as well as 61 districts in eight regions where Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis) could be found, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said on Tuesday. Five of the ancient neglected tropical diseases 96 Trachoma; Lymphatic Filariasisl; Onchocerciasis; Schistosomiasis and intestinal worms - are associated with poverty and poor environment. Opening a three-day stakeholders meeting on Strategic Planning on Neglected Tropical Disease Programme in Accra, Prof. Akosa said the link of these diseases with poverty was so strong that their prevalence could serve as proxy indicator of the level of a country's socioeconomic development.
He noted that the effect of these diseases had a great burden on home care; low school enrolment; low agricultural productivity; inefficient land use and food insecurity. Prof. Akosa, therefore, called on Politicians to realise their role in eliminating the five ancient diseases and afflictions since the fight against these neglected diseases could be better achieved in a combined effort.
He explained that as Ghana was moving towards a total decentralized State, there was the need to disabuse the minds of District Chief Executives, Assembly Members and Members of Parliament on the use of money for development in their areas.
"They should contribute part of their share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund to fight the diseases in their areas so that their people will enjoy good health and appreciate their efforts more for more of them live in the rural areas."
At least one billion people worldwide currently suffer from one or more of these diseases and more than 40 million people are permanently incapacitated and disfigured by lymphatic filariasis alone. In Africa alone, about 30 million people with schistosomiasis suffer permanent and life threatening complications.
Prof. John Gyapong, Director of the Health Research Unit of the Ghana Health Service, noted that at the national level, the diseases were hidden in remote areas and were poorly documented for prioritization and health interventions.
They were kept away due to stigma; lack of visibility at the international level and neglect by research and development, he said. He noted that research had shown that safe and effective drugs were available for their cure.
"The research has also shown that some of these drugs bring added benefits such as nutritional status and micronutrient uptake. The benefits support the very foundations of better health status in impoverished populations."
Prof. Gyapong commended the stakeholders for coming together to combat these diseases and to reduce the levels of transmission. "A sense of corporate social responsibility on the part of industry and governments can be harnessed to make essential interventions accessible to populations."
Prof. Alan Fenwick of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative of the St. Mary's University, London, who gave the global overview, noted that safe and effective drugs existed but were not affordable to those who needed them or governments of poor countries.
He said six pharmaceutical companies had agreed to contribute to supply the drugs and said 250 million dollars would be needed yearly to deliver these drugs to people and countries that needed them. Prof. Fenwick called for collaboration between countries on disease programmes; training of distributors for multiple interventions; country specific solutions and monitoring of events.
Other supporters include Department for International Development of the UK; World Health Organisation; World Bank and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 6 Feb. 07
