A Parasitologist at KNUST, Professor Alexander Yaw Debrah, has highlighted the need to make the control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) a central focus in national health strategies.
During his inaugural professorial lecture, he underscored the necessity for sufficient funding to support NTD control initiatives, which encompass surveillance, treatment, and research.
“Local and endemic country governments, including the government of Ghana, must commit some percentage of health funds to fight NTDs,” he stated.
The lecture, themed “Eliminating filarial diseases: A new hope for an old battle,” emphasized how local and collaborative partnerships have been instrumental in addressing filarial diseases in Ghana.
The discussion also included the growth of human and infrastructure capacities needed to support ongoing research and control measures.
In his advocacy for the inclusion of elephantiasis patients in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Debrah called on the government to ensure that these individuals are also eligible for the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program.
“LEAP is a social protection intervention of the Government of Ghana aimed at reducing extreme poverty among the poorest and most vulnerable in Ghana.
“Our research data shows that the little help we gave to the patients actually improved their quality of life. If the government extends LEAP to elephantiasis patients, it will definitely improve their quality of life,” he asserted.
Professor Debrah also underscored the importance of conducting regular evaluations to verify the effectiveness of interventions.
“Our experiences from the Yaws Eradication Program and other NTD programs, both local and international, teach us that the last 1% of patients left is as equally important as the first 99% we successfully treated. Therefore, we should be very careful not to close the books on ‘eliminated NTDs.’
“If you are certified to eliminate a disease, it does not mean it is completely eradicated from the country. It means it is no longer a public health threat. However, if care is not taken, recrudescence can set in, and fighting to control it will be very difficult due to factors such as donor apathy and disengagement,” he explained.
As digital technology advances, Prof. Debrah urged for increased integration of digital and mobile tools by community health volunteers (CHVs) to detect both new and existing cases.
A key element of his recommendations involves promoting collaboration between policymakers, researchers, academic institutions, international organizations, and public-private partnerships to eradicate NTDs.