Buruli ulcer community health education and medical screening in Ga South District, Ghana.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is caused by Method: Between April-June 2010, the NSPA leadership conducted a series of seminars and media campaigns to raise public awareness about BU. Prior to the BU screening in the study communities, participants were shown BU documentaries to educate them and dispel myths about the disease. This was then followed by physical examinations for signs of BU; fine needle aspirates and/ or swabs were taken from nodules, plaques or ulcerative lesions, respectively, for laboratory confirmation of MU infection. Participants also volunteered for free medical screening - Body Mass Index (BMI, Results: The media campaigns reached over 10 million people through national radio and TV, and the BU screening benefitted 2,500 participants. Most of the participants, 85%, were aware about the disease but not the cause. Of the 33 suspected cases identified with lesions (84.8% children), 78.8% were confirmed as positive for MU infection; representing 1,040 cases per 100,000 or 1% prevalence in the study population. All the confirmed cases commenced free BU treatment and were supported with medical supplies donated by NSPA-NMIMR to the Obom Health Centre, Ga South District. Participants with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m Conclusion: The BU-CHEMS program incentivized community participation to contribute to national BU control interventions and therefore can be further refined to complement activities of the National Buruli Ulcer Control Program (NBUCP).