Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a serious public health concern in India. A nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign was launched earlier this year to end disease transmission by 2027. 

While strategies are set in place, it is interesting to note that climate change has played a major role in the spread of this mosquito-borne disease.

Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso together form the Act | West consortium. These countries have made great strides during their tenure in the Act | West program towards the elimination of onchocerciasis (OV). During a recent onchocerciasis program review workshop in Ghana, progress made towards onchocerciasis elimination among countries was recognized and common challenges and potential solutions to address those challenges were discussed. 

A disease caused by parasitic worms has long blighted the lives of millions of people in tropical and subtropical countries including Burkina Faso and Madagascar.

Now victims of the ailment, schistosomiasis, have reasons for hope. International researchers may have come up with better ways to detect the disease and are on the verge of developing a vaccine against the ailment, which people often catch in fresh-water bodies such as rivers.

Governments, donors and NGOs need to address the impact of climate change and conflict on NTD control and elimination efforts, as reported in this collaborative study by research members of the NTD NGO Network (NNN), Conflict and Humanitarian Emergency (C&HE) Cross-Cutting Group.

Expanding access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene has a significant, multiple impact on any nation’s health indicators. Without greater access to safe Water, Hygiene, and Sanitation (WASH), malnutrition and stunting would be very difficult to control. Water and sanitation access are fundamental human rights. 

Typhoid, typhoid fever, intestinal worm infections, and polio can all spread due to poor sanitation, as can cholera, dysentery, and other diarrheal illnesses. Stunting gets worse and antimicrobial resistance gets worsened by it. 

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has started administering drugs to 5.8 million people in 13 regions against two neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as part of efforts to limit transmission. The two diseases are Onchocerciasis (Oncho), also known as river blindness, and Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) better known as elephantiasis. The first of the bi-annual mass drug administration (MDA) exercise begun on July 2, this year and is expected to end on Sunday, July 16, this year.

The Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) ended its 172nd Session [June 29] following discussions on a variety of pertinent public health topics, including pandemic response, vaccination coverage, strengthening human resources for health, strategic communications for behavior change, mental health and suicide prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in children, adolescents, and young adults, among other important issues.