Elimination of neglected tropical diseases training underway in Accra

A capacity-building training to develop strategies for the elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases is underway in Accra.

The participants include disease control experts and researchers from Pakistan, Guinea, Chad, Uganda, Kenya, Cameroun, South Sudan, the Gambia and Ghana. The week-long course is jointly organised by the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the Carter Center. 

The programme, which is in its third year, aims at equipping disease control managers with skills and knowledge to eliminate and eradicate neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and polio in their respective countries.

Mentorship support

The Technical Director at GLIDE, Dr Ngozi Erondu, underlined the importance of creative problem-solving in disease elimination, particularly in remote areas. The main objective of the course, she said, was for participants to develop a disease elimination strategy, adding that the best strategies from three countries would win trophies, with the first place winner receiving $10,000 seed funding to advance their strategy.

Participants would also receive mentorship support to implement their strategies. Dr Erondu mentioned some success stories from previous courses, including past winners from Ghana who have implemented their strategies and reported significant progress. 

She said the disease elimination and eradication course was a vital initiative in the global effort to combat infectious diseases and promote public health.

Collaboration

The Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, said by sharing knowledge and expertise, participants would develop effective strategies to eliminate diseases and improve the health and well-being of communities across Africa.

She said her outfit would continue to play a crucial role in sustaining the training programme through collaboration with partners.

The director encouraged participants to approach the training with an open mind, learn from peers and facilitators, and apply their knowledge to improve disease elimination and eradication programmes in their respective countries.

Two former participants - the National Tropical Disease (NTD) programme manager, Dr Joseph Opare, and the Malaria case management officer at the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Paul Boateng, shared their experiences from past participations.

The previous Ghanaian award winners also highlighted how the knowledge and skills gained and the strategies they had developed were contributing to the country's progress towards malaria elimination.