Residents of Zorko-Kodorogo, a farming community in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region have been sensitised on skin Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) as part of efforts to fighting the diseases. At a community durbar, the residents were also screened for various skin NTDs and given the necessary healthcare services by health workers. It was organised by the Development Research and Advocacy Centre (DRAC), a non-governmental organisation as part of a two-year pilot project dubbed, 'Strengthening and Building Capacity to Combat Skin NTDs in Ghana', funded by the ANESVAD Foundation. It is being implemented together with the Ghana coalition of NGOs in Health, Upper East Region and in partnership with the Ghana Health Service, Upper East Region in five districts namely Talensi, Nabdam, Bongo, Binduri and Builsa South. The project seeks to among other things, contribute to the global objective of eradicating and eliminating skin NTDs and contribute to reducing skin NTDs burden on both the affected people and health systems. Mr Melton Aberinga, the Programmes Director, DRAC, explained that beneficiary districts of the project were selected based on a baseline survey that suggested the skin NTDs were endemic in those areas and the health workers needed enhanced training to be able to provide the needed care. He said elephantiasis, leprosy and yaws were the most prevalent skin NTDs conditions in the operational districts and there was the need for the residents to be empowered on the diseases to support the fight. He said apart from durbars to sensitise the communities on the diseases, affected persons would be identified and supported with livelihoods interventions to ensure that they engaged in income generating activities and lived dignified lives. According to Aberinga, ignorance, stigmatisation, myths and misconceptions had been identified as major barriers to the fight against the NTDs and called for stronger partnership among stakeholders to intensify education. Mr Patrick Anamoo, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of DRAC, said the investment globally in fighting NTDs was not enough and there was the need for governments to commit more resources to fighting the canker. He said most of the people affected by the NTDs were from the rural poor but little attention had been paid to them and called for stronger partnership among stakeholders to help end the canker/ 'It is not a funding driven area because people want to give to areas where they think they can get returns but these are poor and no one cares about,' he said. Mr Samuel Tang, the Bongo District Disease Control Officer of the Ghana Health Service, said that NTDs particularly elephantiasis was endemic in the Bongo District and the directorate had been battling it for years but lacked the resources to reach the hard-to-reach communities. He said due to stigmatisation a lot of people who suffered any of the NTDs did not report to the healthcare facilities and the district health directorate had been working to create awareness on the diseases and encourage people to report such cases. Mr Donatus Adua Awine, Programmes Director, Kunkua Renaissance Development Centre, one of the implementing partners of the project, said the project was contributing to demystifying the myths surrounding persons with NTDs and fighting stigmatisation. Ms Freda Alorry, the Midwife in charge of Zorko-Kodorogo Community-based Health Planning Services compound commended the DRAC and its partners and noted that the project would help to fight elephantiasis which was prevalent in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency