The Ghana Health Service will be embarking on a nationwide mass drug administration exercise in basic schools from the 4th to the 8th of November this year.
The aim of the exercise is to combat specifically two of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) namely bilharzia and intestinal worm Infestation.
The exercise is targeting six million school children from Kindergarten Two to JHS Three in 205 districts across the country.
Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Ambassador for the National NTD Campaign, Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee hammered on the need to participate in the exercise.
“No citizen should be left behind. There should never be a situation where some citizens are in a sense deprived of an opportunity to contribute to national development and that is why it is important that we address every child and make sure that we eliminate these neglected tropical diseases,” she stated.
On his part, the Deputy Director of Administration of the Ghana Health Service, Martin Ankomah also charged parents to encourage their children to participate in this exercise.
“May I humbly appeal to all parents to encourage their wards to participate in this exercise. The medicines are safe and they have many benefits like promoting growth in children and protecting children from other infections and generally promoting good health and general wellbeing of the child,” he said.
Neglected Tropical Diseases are a group of twenty infectious and parasitic diseases found in very impoverished parts of the world.
The diseases include elephantiasis, lymphatic filariasis, yaws, bilharzia, Buruli ulcer, leprosy, intestinal worms, trachoma, and sleeping sickness.
