Sustaining the fight against Buruli ulcer

Buruli ulcer hit the headlines in the country in the 1990s when some scary pictures of victims were shown.
Before then, some communities had experienced the disease but the people did not understand what caused the swelling in the skin. Following a national survey in 1999, 6,000 cases that looked like Buruli ulcer were recorded and the World Health Organisation encouraged the government to set up a control programme to deal with the menace.

Buruli ulcer is not only a health concern; it also has social and economic implications because those who are afflicted are demobilised and become a burden on society, their parents and the government.

Until the government took up the fight against Buruli ulcer, many saw the disease as a curse or punishment from the gods. The people were familiar with ordinary sores and boils but not the kind of disease that causes swellings, particularly in the legs or arms.

When victims of the disease were exposed in the media following action by health workers at Agroyesum in the Ashanti Region, the conscience of the nation was pricked to move into action against the disease.

Since then, the National Buruli Ulcer Control Programme has been making gains in the fight against the disease.

Although research for a vaccine to treat Buruli ulcer is ongoing, the treatment regime, by which the ulcers are treated, seems to have offered some relief to victims.

It is important that health professionals step up action to develop tools for early diagnosis in order to understand exactly how the infection is transmitted and  improve treatment.

The Daily Graphic thinks that health professionals have a responsibility to raise awareness of the disease, so that victims know what actions to take early to avoid the dangers associated with the disease.

It is against this background that the Daily Graphic is worried that activities of illegal miners are threatening to reverse the gains made to control the disease.

The National Buruli Ulcer Control Programme says trenches, artificial lakes and other non-natural water bodies created by illegal miners which are often contaminated by the chemicals used become fertile breading ground for the germ that causes the ulcer to grow exponentially.

We add our voice to calls on the government to implement the laws regarding environmental degradation and its impact on human health.

We also ask the government to provide potable water in Buruli ulcer endemic areas as a way of preventing reliance on untreated water for domestic use.

It is also sad that Buruli ulcer is not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme because it is regarded as an ordinary ulcer. That policy requires a review because majority of the people who are afflicted are the vulnerable and the poor who are very weak economically.

Efforts to clamp down on galamsey activities in the country are yielding some results and we ought to step up the fight to stop illegal miners from causing further harm to our environment and endangering our health.

Daily Graphic/Ghana