Ghana to give free drugs to millions in fight against bilharzia, elephantiasis, river blindness

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is launching a nationwide mass drug administration (MDA) campaign from June 20 to July 10, targeting millions of people in districts affected by Bilharzia, Elephantiasis, and River Blindness.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, June 17, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said poor sanitation, environmental pollution, and unsafe water sources are major factors undermining the country's efforts to eliminate these diseases.

“When you take into consideration sanitation, water, and environmental issues, we contribute to the resurrection and spread of these diseases,” Dr. Kaba Akoriyea said. “These diseases have to be looked at from a one-health approach. Our environment, our actions and inactions all influence their spread.”

The campaign will cover 86 River Blindness-endemic districts across 15 regions, reaching approximately 6.7 million people. Treatment for elephantiasis will target about 266,000 people in two endemic districts, while community deworming against bilharzia will be carried out in 13 districts across eight regions, reaching nearly one million people.

The medicines are safe and recommended by the World Health Organization, according to the GHS. They'll be administered free of charge through house-to-house visits by trained health workers and community volunteers.

Dr. Kaba Akoriyea called on community leaders, teachers, religious leaders, parents, and the media to help educate the public and encourage participation. He stressed that eliminating these diseases will require collective action.

“We have to put in extraordinary efforts to find those few cases left so that we can confidently say we've eliminated these diseases. That remains our target,” he stated.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to affect some of Ghana's most vulnerable populations, causing disability, stigma, loss of productivity, and economic hardship. According to the GHS, the diseases can keep children out of school, reduce household incomes, and slow community development.

River blindness, transmitted through the bites of infected black flies that breed near fast-flowing rivers and streams, remains endemic in 149 districts across Ghana. Although sustained interventions since 1997 have significantly reduced the burden, 86 districts still require mass drug administration.

Ghana has made remarkable progress in tackling elephantiasis, with transmission interrupted in 114 endemic districts. This leaves only a few districts requiring continued intervention.

Bilharzia, however, remains a public health concern across the country, largely due to poor access to clean water and sanitation. The disease is contracted through contact with contaminated water and can lead to blood in urine or stool, anemia, poor growth in children, and serious reproductive health complications in women.

The exercise forms part of Ghana's efforts to eliminate NTDs as a public health threat by 2030. Dr. Kaba Akoriyea warned that medical interventions alone won't be enough. “These diseases have to be looked at from a one-health approach,” he said, emphasizing the need for improved sanitation, access to clean water, and environmental protection.