District and Municipal Health Directorates across the Ashanti Region are stepping up awareness campaigns on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) to mark this year's World NTD Day. Health Information Officers have been visiting local radio stations and community information centres to educate the public on the causes, prevention and treatment of the diseases. Celebrated globally on January 30, the day is set aside annually to create awareness on diseases forming the NTD and solicit support and resources to combat them. The NTDs are a group of about 20 parasitic and bacteria diseases, which affect about 1.7 billion people in about 149 of the poorest countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. So far, 50 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, marking a halfway milestone towards the 100-country target set for 2030 in the World Health Organisation's roadmap for neglected tropical diseases. Most of these diseases do not kill but produce debilitating effects, including disfigurement and disability in patie nts. There are 14 of these in Ghana that are managed by respective Programmes under the Ghana Health Service. These are Buruli ulcer, Guinea worm, Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), Onchocerciasis (river blindness), Rabies, Scabies, Scabies and other ectoparasites, Schistosomiasis (bilharzia), Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (worms), Snakebite envenoming, Trachoma and Yaws. The majority of NTDs in Ghana have been mapped, with some eliminated as diseases of public health importance (guinea worm, trachoma, leprosy). Others have made huge progress and are on the verge of elimination (sleeping sickness). It is in line with sustaining such gains that the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has instructed all 43 health directorates in the region to embark on public awareness creation on the NTDs in their respective districts. A letter signed by Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, Ashanti Regional Health Director, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, entreated the District Directors of Health Services to prioritise the awareness creation. It further encouraged them to marshal all efforts and resources to reach out to the larger population during the exercise. Source: Ghana News Agency