16.03.2025

KCCR/KNUST Opens Elephantiasis Management Clinics in Upper East Region

The Filariasis team at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine (KCCR) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has opened two Elephantiasis Management clinics in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The clinics are located at the WAR Memorial Hospital in Navrongo and the Kasena Nankana Health Centre in Kandiga.

This initiative, funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is part of the “Tackling the Obstacles to Fight Filarial Infections and Podoconiosis” (TAKeOFF) project.

The newly established clinics are equipped with medications, hygiene supplies, and trained healthcare personnel to provide comprehensive care. Services will include elephantiasis management, health education, counseling, and research surveillance.

Professor Alex Yaw Debrah, the Principal Investigator and Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, highlighted that the clinics will provide quality healthcare to those affected by elephantiasis. He noted that the concept began in 2017 after observations showed that proper foot hygiene significantly improves patient outcomes, accelerates wound healing, and reduces acute attacks.

"The clinics are not just healthcare facilities; they symbolize KCCR-KNUST and partners' commitment to the well-being and dignity of our citizens. They represent our determination to tackle the social and economic causes of health that perpetuate poverty and disease," Professor Debrah stated.

Dr Linda Debrah, the Co-Principal investigator of the TAKEOFF project, introduced the participants to the clinic which was well equipped with hygiene materials as well as medications for elephantiasis management. She entreated the hospital staff  to take good care of the facility.

Continue reading: KNUST News