GHS launches nationwide campaign to eliminate river blindness, elephantiasis and bilharzia

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched its 2026 Integrated Mass Drug Administration (MDA) Campaign as part of efforts to eliminate river blindness, elephantiasis and bilharzia as public health threats by 2030.

The nationwide exercise, scheduled to run from June 20 to July 3, will see health authorities distribute medicines to millions of people living in affected communities across the country.

According to a news release from the service, Director of the Public Health Division, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, described the campaign as a major step towards achieving Ghana’s disease elimination targets.

He said the intervention would provide safe and effective medicines to people in endemic communities and called on the media to support public education efforts.

According to him, accurate information and community mobilisation will be critical to ensuring high participation and the success of the exercise.

On his part, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, who officially launched the campaign, said although the diseases are preventable and treatable, they continue to affect thousands of people and place a burden on families and communities.

“These conditions keep children out of school, reduce household incomes and contribute to social stigma and disability,” he was quoted in the news release.

Dr. Akoriyea disclosed that the campaign aims to reach about 6.7 million people in 86 districts across 15 regions for the treatment of Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness.

He noted that significant progress has also been made in the fight against Lymphatic Filariasis, with transmission interrupted in 114 out of 117 endemic districts.

The 2026 campaign, he said, will focus on the remaining two endemic districts and target approximately 266,000 people.

For Schistosomiasis, commonly known as bilharzia, community deworming exercises will be conducted in 13 districts across eight regions to protect more than one million people.

The intervention will be complemented by measures aimed at improving water, sanitation, hygiene and environmental management.