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Elephantiasis still prevalent in eight districts… efforts are made to contain it – Experts
Over 120 million people are infected with Elephantiasis, according to WHO
What started as a painful pinch on the leg of Madam AkuaAbokumaa, 20 years ago has now become a bigger swelling, despite numerous efforts to ease the bulge and the throbbing pain associated with it.
The 69-year-old woman is virtually immobile.
Pain is etched on her face as she struggles to walk around the mud houses in her remote village at Asemko, in the West Ahanta Municipal Assembly close to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in the Western Region.
She is among over 120 million people who are infected and 40 million who are disfigured or incapacitated by microscopic larvae and microfilariae, which are transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Madam Abokumaa said she had spent thousands of cedis generated from her small subsistence farming to visit hospitals and traditional healers in an attempt to treat the deadly sickness.
But the situation keeps getting worse.
Narrating her sad story to this reporter, she said that most of the traditional healers she visited,after taking money from her as consultation fees, told her that she had been bewitched.
Madam Abokumaa accused some of the healers of making the swelling worse, after making cuts on the leg with a razor blade and covering them with white powder.
She said the treatment rather caused more acute infections that spread to her entire body leaving her bed-bound and feverish.
“I have lost so much and even sold properties to pay the healers, or to get a taxi to the hospital when the pain is unbearable. Now it’s getting worse and my other leg is becoming swollen. It sometimes feels like I might just die,” she said.
Another person suffering a similar fate is 56-year-old John Asmah, who developed the early stages of elephantiasis as an infant. The father of six can no longer work and struggles to pay her children’s secondary school fees, let alone medical bills.
According to him, the loneliness had wanedhis confidence. His family abandoned him when the swelling started in because they saw him as a disabled person.
“I sometimes feel like I’m the only one with this problem, people walking by always laugh at me. Sometimes when I meet a group of people, they just stand there staring at my leg, asking if I’m cursed,” he said.
MrBright Alomatu, the Desk Officer for Lymphatic Filariasis and a biologist of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme (NTDP) of Ghana in an interview said:“Lymphatic filariasis (LF), commonly known as elephantiasis, is a disabling and disfiguring disease where the lymph vessels and nodes are damaged by mosquito parasites and may result in massive lymphoedema.”
He said it was a widespread and major public health problem in many developing countries with warm and humid climates, including Ghana.
He said with the implementation of the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) with various support, significant progress had been made towards the elimination of the disease as a public health problem.
He said that out of the 114 hotspot districts, 106 had been contained leaving eight districts namely; Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and Bole in the Savannah Region, Ellembelle in the Western Region, Sunyani West in the Bono Region, Lawra, Wa East and West in Upper West Region and Nabdam in the Upper East Region.
“Those affected with symptoms are left with strangely swilling deformed limbs which had been as a result of several years without treatment, he said.
According to Dr Sylvester Coleman, an entomologist and a lecturer at the Department of Clinical Microbiology of the Kwame NkrumahUniversity of Science and Technology, “elephantiasis is a severe manifestation of lymphatic filariasis, a disease which could also trigger extensive scrotal swelling, or hydrocele, in men.”
It is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and is endemic in 73 countries.
He said the infection was transmitted by mosquitoes carrying tiny, thread-like worms, which nest in and attack a person’s lymphatic system, though many of those infected with the parasite will not present any symptoms.
He warned patients against the use of herbs for treating elephantiasis as well as seeking treatment from traditional healers, but rather visit the nearest health centres.
From Geoffrey Buta, Asemko
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Sammy Ayeh has picked up nomination forms to contest for the position of Deputy National Communications Officer position.
Announcing his intention, Dr. Ayeh said he is offering himself to help communicate the party’s vision clearly and connect its message with the aspirations of Ghanaians.
He expressed deep gratitude to the party’s National Communications Officer, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, describing him as an able leader on whose shoulders he has risen.
“His exceptional leadership, mentorship and confidence in me have shaped my journey and strengthened my resolve to serve,” Dr. Ayeh stated.
He said if elected, he will seek to build on that foundation by strengthening research-driven communication, empowering grassroots communicators, and enhancing strategic media engagement.
Dr. Ayeh humbly appealed to party members and supporters for their support.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Data Protection Commission has called on the Minority Caucus in Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media houses to protect the personal information of 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Commission expressed concern over the public disclosure of the evacuees’ personal details, including their names, signatures and records of financial assistance received.
It warned that making such information public could expose the affected individuals to identity theft, fraud and other forms of harm, especially given the threats to their safety that some of them may have faced.
The Commission explained that the 1992 Constitution protects the dignity and privacy of every individual. It also cited the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), which sets out rules for the lawful collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
While acknowledging the importance of transparency, parliamentary oversight, the right to information and press freedom, the Commission stressed that these principles do not automatically justify the unrestricted publication of personal details.
It said the disclosure of the records by the Minority Caucus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media organisations must be assessed based on the law, the purpose of the disclosure and the privacy rights of the individuals involved.
The Commission further noted that although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament are registered data controllers in good standing, their registration does not exempt them from their legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act.
It has therefore urged all the parties involved to take appropriate steps to protect the affected individuals, including immediately restricting access to or removing personal details from publicly available records where their continued disclosure is not legally justified.
The Commission announced plans to conduct a regulatory review to determine whether the disclosures had a lawful basis, what safeguards were applied and whether the privacy rights of the evacuees had been adequately protected.
It said it would engage the relevant parties as part of the review and take appropriate regulatory action if any breach of the law is established.
The Commission reiterated that protecting personal information and respecting human dignity must remain central to efforts to promote public accountability.
By: Jacob Aggrey
