Public urged to unite for elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases

The Keta Municipal Health Directorate in the Volta Region has urged the public to work together to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the communities.

This will help create more awareness and further mitigate the rate of spread of these diseases.

NTDs are a diverse group of tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas.

They are caused by various pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms (helminths).

These diseases are contrasted with the “big three” infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria), which generally receive greater treatment and research funding.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the effect of neglected tropical diseases as a group is comparable to that of malaria and tuberculosis.

NTD co-infection can also make HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis more deadly.

Madam Dora Kugbonu, a Health Promotion Officer, at Keta Municipal Health Directorate, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of this year’s NTDs Day, called on individuals and communities to get together and address the inequalities that resulted in neglected tropical diseases.

The Day was to create better awareness of the devastating impacts of NTDs on the poorest populations around the world, she stated.

She said NTDs were a diverse group of some 20 conditions that were widespread among people in rural areas, who were in vulnerable situations.

They could also be found in war zones and areas where water safety, sanitation, and access to healthcare were inadequate or suboptimal.

Madam Kugbonu said NTDs affected more than one million people globally and were responsible for thousands of preventable deaths in various communities every year.

“The diseases were called ‘neglected’ because they were ranked very low on the global health agenda and received lower attention when they appeared.”

She outlined some examples of such diseases as Buruli ulcer, leprosy, trachoma, yaws, foodborne trematode diseases, and human African trypanosomiasis among others.

Madam Kugbonu said the disease was preventable and the public must prioritise their health issues by visiting the hospital regularly for checkups.

She appealed to individuals, chiefs, heads of institutions, corporate entities, and community leaders among others to work together to eliminate those diseases.

This year’s World Neglected Tropical Disease Day was on the theme: “Unite, Act, Eliminate.”