Rotarian Peter Labelle and his son Liam left for Ghana in mid-October to renew friendships and partnerships. This trip has involved visits in Sekyere Afram Planes where our partner BUVA Foundation has been educating the members of the various communities about Buruli ulcer, yaws, leprosy and general hygiene. Rotarian Emmanuel Agumah, himself a Buruli ulcer survivor, is the president and driving force behind the BUVA Foundation and Peter Labelle is a health care professional. Caught early, Buruli ulcer is quite easily treated with a course of oral antibiotics, however, if it is not treated early, it can become extremely serious as well as expensive to treat because of the skin grafts, hospital care and family time away from earning a livelihood. Most frequent victims of Buruli ulcer are children under age fifteen, however, anyone can become affected by this non-contagious disease.

 

Our program involves training healthcare workers and local volunteers as well as working with members of Ghana Health Services. The BUVA team conduct a training session for the farmers after they return from the fields. The following morning all school children a screened for Buruli ulcer, yaws, ringworm, leprosy, etc.  As cases are identified, they are treated or directed to the appropriate place for treatment depending upon the condition. Although the initial mandate of this project centred upon Buruli ulcer, the team of health care workers have recognized the need for other services that can be provided at very little addition cost in time or money. We have added Yaws to our mandate at the request of the World Health Organization because once it’s identified, Yaws treatment involves a single injection that saves a person from a seriously debilitating condition.

 

 

Sekyere Afram Planes is a remote and largely rural area where Buruli ulcer is endemic; the education and screening program was been put in place to address the situation. Districts with similar economic conditions have been targeted for similar education and screening programs. Because all of these areas are remote and difficult to access it is a contributing factor for the assortment of untreated conditions. Along with the new areas, periodic follow-up visits will be made to reinforce the training that has already been done in Sekyere Afram Planes