Annual Programme of Work 2005 - Ministry of Health

• Number of villages reporting guinea worm disease (905 at October, projected to 950 at
December 2004) reduced by at least 25% to 700 or less.
• Number of guinea worm cases reduced to 3500.
Neglected Diseases affecting the Poor almost exclusively
Six main diseases – Buruli ulcer, Trachoma, Leishmaniasis, Schistosomiasis,
Onchocerciasis, Yaws, and Filiariasis - almost exclusively affect the poor. Apart from
Buruli Ulcer and Onchocerciasis, which are fairly widespread, all the other diseases are
focal. Trachoma is located predominantly in the northern and upper West regions.
Leishmaniasis is an emerging disease, which is spreading especially in the Volta region.
Filariasis is predominant in the Northern and Western regions. The general issues
common to all these diseases are that they are under funded, have difficulties with
treatment, and require community participation in their management. The focus for 2005
is to raise the profile of these diseases and ensure they are adequately funded within the
district budget.
Priority activities would include:
• Establish the burden of diseases and distribution of these diseases
• Develop a strategic framework for the prevention and control of each of the five
neglected diseases
• Provide guidelines and protocols for control of all neglected diseases
• Earmark and allocate poverty reduction funds at central level and funds within the
district budget to support the prevention and treatment of these diseases.
• Incorporate the surveillance of these diseases into the integrated surveillance system
• Supporting relevant operational research into the management of these diseases.
Expected Outputs/Results
• Programme for control of each of the five neglected diseases in place
• Baseline on the diseases established
• Strategic framework in place
• Proportion of budget allocated to these diseases
• Coverage of interventions increased
Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases
The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the country is largely unknown.
However, NCD are increasingly responsible for outpatient attendance and admission. In
2003, hypertension was the 5th leading cause of outpatient morbidity in all ages, but
second leading cause in both male and female adults older than 45 years. At KBTH,
between 1990 and 1997, chronic diseases and complications accounted for more than
two-thirds of all medical admissions and more than 50% of all deaths.
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