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. 2015 Jan;92(1):115-7.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0405. Epub 2014 Oct 20.

Buruli ulcer control in a highly endemic district in Ghana: role of community-based surveillance volunteers

Kabiru Mohammed Abass  1 , Tjip S van der Werf  1 , Richard O Phillips  1 , Fred S Sarfo  1 , Justice Abotsi  1 , Samuel Osei Mireku  1 , William N Thompson  1 , Kingsley Asiedu  1 , Ymkje Stienstra  1 , Sandor-Adrian Klis  2
Affiliations

Buruli ulcer control in a highly endemic district in Ghana: role of community-based surveillance volunteers

Kabiru Mohammed Abass et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Jan.

Abstract

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.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Category of lesions by source of referral (Agogo Buruli Ulcer Clinic 2009–2013).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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