The former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Joyce Aryee, has called on the nation to pay key attention to Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which turn to subtly affect sub-Saharan countries economically and socially.
Speaking with Citi News, Ghana’s Ambassador for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Dr. Joyce R. Aryee, emphasized on the need to eliminate such diseases which turn to affect the populace who live in poverty and are without adequate sanitation.
According to her, diseases like onchocerciasis (River blindness), soil-transmitted helminthiases, Trachoma and elephantiasis among other NTDs, are “somehow called neglected because our nation does not focus
on them.”
“Maybe because they don’t kill immediately like HIV or even Malaria where the mortality rate for children under five is very high. It is a very debilitating disease that makes it impossible for one to work. And it has a high social and economic cost. And it is also around areas where poverty levels are high,” she hinted.
Dr. Joyce Aryee made this call on the sidelines of this year’s annual Countdown Partners Meeting held in Accra under the theme,”Programme of implementation research to inform the effective and sustainable scaling-up of integrated NTD control initiatives” organised by the Ghana Health Service in partnership with various health professionals from the United Kingdom, the U.S, Cameroon, Liberia and Nigeria.
Countdown
Countdown is a multi-disciplinary research consortium dedicated to investigating cost-effective, sealed-up and sustained solutions necessary to control and eliminate the seven (7) most Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diverse group of communicable diseases prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries and affects more than one billion people, costing developing economies billions of dollars every year.
Implementation of appropriate measures with high coverage would lead to achieving the WHO NTD Roadmap targets resulting in the elimination of many diseases and the eradication of at least two by 2020.
This development is in line with achieving the Sustained Development Goal (SDG).
–
By: Kumi Obed Afari/citifmonline.com/Ghana