School health and NTDs sensitisation session
A journey of recovery and support
Published on: 17/12/2024
IRC Ghana partnered with the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Health Directorate and community-based health volunteers to carry out a series of school health education and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) sensitisation activities in selected communities. This effort aims to control, eliminate, and eradicate skin-related neglected tropical diseases.
Under this outreach programme, school children and community members are educated on hygiene practices through video sensitisation, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education, screening, and initial tests on suspected cases. These efforts are critical for the early identification and prompt treatment of NTDs, ensuring that communities are well-informed and proactive in maintaining their health.
Foster, a young basic school student, and his father, a cocoa farmer in Upper Denkyira East, share their experience with one such illness and their journey to recovery.
Foster shared his story:
"Things weren't very good. One day, as I was about to take a bath, I noticed some boils on parts of my body. I informed my mum, but initially, nothing was done. Later, the boils enlarged and turned into sores. At school, some people came to educate us on WASH and NTDs and showed us pictures of diseases. I recognised one that looked like mine. That's when I informed them, and they reached out to my parents. My father eventually took me to the community clinic."
At the community clinic, he was given medication, and a sample of the liquid from the nodule was taken for testing. The results from the laboratory confirmed a case of Buruli Ulcer. Since he started practising good hygiene as taught by the initiative, he has not had any such infections or diseases. He feels much better and is now able to attend school regularly. His father expressed deep gratitude for the support that helped his son recover, highlighting the importance of the good WASH lessons taught by the ANESVAD-funded 'WASH services in skin-NTDs endemic areas' initiative.
The initiative is implementing aspects of the Upper Denkyira East WASH-NTDs masterplan and specifically targets NTD-endemic communities with sustainable solutions. It focuses on addressing the municipality's challenges in providing access to safe water and sanitation, which are critical in the combat against NTDs. The collaborative efforts of the Municipal Assembly, the Municipal Health Department, and IRC Ghana are central to this initiative, striving to deliver safe WASH services and significantly reduce the incidence of these diseases.
