Report symptoms of Buruli ulcer early

Published in the Daily Graphic on 3/06/2010, pg 46

Story: Matilda Attram, Obom
The Deputy Chief Medical Assistant of the Obom Health Centre in the Ga South municipality, Mr Isaac Lamptey, has advised the people living in Buruli ulcer endemic communities to report symptoms of the disease early to the hospital to avoid complications.
According to him, the disease often started as a painless swelling on the skin which itches and develops into a sore, stressing that, although Buruli ulcer was dangerous and causes devastating effects on patients, most patients only reported to the centre with the disease when it had reached a critical stage.
Records indicate that the centre recorded 22 cases of Buruli ulcer in the first quarter of the year, and that children are those mostly affected because they bath and play in some of the water sources in the communities.
Buruli ulcer is caused by a germ known as a Mycobacterium ulcerans which are found in water bodies such as slow flowing rivers, ponds, swamps and lakes. It mainly affects the skin but it can also affect the bone.
Mycobacterium ulcerans belongs to the same family of organisms that cause leprosy and tuberculosis.
Explaining the effects of the disease, Mr Lamptey said it led to extensive destruction of the skin and soft tissues of the human body.
"With the formation of large ulcers, usually on the legs or arms, the infection can result in functional disability, such as restriction of joint movement, if not treated early," he said.
He said the communities which depended on the centre for their health care had boreholes as their source of water but continued to use the unhygienic rivers and ponds in the communities as their sources of water.
He said the communities reported cases of Buruli ulcer late, after attributing the ulcers to primitive beliefs such as witchcraft, and ascribed the behaviour and attitude of the people to illiteracy and ignorance.
"They come to the clinic when their visits to herbalists and other traditional sources of healing fail and their conditions have become critical," he added.
Mr Lamptey told the Daily Graphic that the centre, in collaboration with other private institutions, organised durbars, film shows, free screening of children during school hours and embarked on door-to-door campaigns to educate the people on the disease as a means of minimising the rate of infection in the area.
He said the lack of vehicles and the bad state of roads in the communities were the major challenges facing the centre in carrying out its activities.