TY - JOUR
T1 - Short Report
T2 - Buruli Ulcer Control in a Highly Endemic District in Ghana: Role of Community-Based Surveillance Volunteers
AU - Abass, Kabiru Mohammed
AU - van der Werf, Tjip S.
AU - Phillips, Richard O.
AU - Sarfo, Fred S.
AU - Abotsi, Justice
AU - Mireku, Samuel Osei
AU - Thompson, William N.
AU - Asiedu, Kingsley
AU - Stienstra, Ymkje
AU - Klis, Sandor-Adrian
PY - 2015/1
Y1 - 2015/1
N2 - Buruli ulcer (BU) is an infectious skin disease that occurs mainly in West and Central Africa. It can lead to severe disability and stigma because of scarring and contractures. Effective treatment with antibiotics is available, but patients often report to the hospital too late to prevent surgery and the disabling consequences of the disease. In a highly endemic district in Ghana, intensified public health efforts, mainly revolving around training and motivating community-based surveillance volunteers (CBSVs), were implemented. As a result, 70% of cases were reported in the earliest-World Health Organization category I-stage of the disease, potentially minimizing the need for surgery. CBSVs referred more cases in total and more cases in the early stages of the disease than any other source. CBSVs are an important resource in the early detection of BU.
AB - Buruli ulcer (BU) is an infectious skin disease that occurs mainly in West and Central Africa. It can lead to severe disability and stigma because of scarring and contractures. Effective treatment with antibiotics is available, but patients often report to the hospital too late to prevent surgery and the disabling consequences of the disease. In a highly endemic district in Ghana, intensified public health efforts, mainly revolving around training and motivating community-based surveillance volunteers (CBSVs), were implemented. As a result, 70% of cases were reported in the earliest-World Health Organization category I-stage of the disease, potentially minimizing the need for surgery. CBSVs referred more cases in total and more cases in the early stages of the disease than any other source. CBSVs are an important resource in the early detection of BU.
KW - FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS
KW - BENIN
U2 - 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0405
DO - 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0405
M3 - Article
C2 - 25331802
SN - 0002-9637
VL - 92
SP - 115
EP - 117
JO - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
JF - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
IS - 1
ER -