NAVRONGO HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE

                     A Field station of the Ministry of Health, Ghana

                  (Member of the INDEPTH Network)

Ethics Board

Publications

Filariasis in northern Ghana: Some cultural beliefs and practices and their implications for disease control

Location          :Navrongo - Ghana

Investigators  :Margaret Gyapong, John O. Gyapong, Sam Adjei, Carol Vlassof, Mitchell Weiss

Collaboration   :Navrongo Health Research Centre, Health Research Unit, Accra, WHO-TDR, Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel.

Funding             :UNDP/World bank/WHO-TDR

Period Covered:  

SUMMARY

The study reports on how some endemic communities in northern Ghana perceive and manage lymphatic filariasis. The disease was attributed to supernatural and spiritual factors. The community was found to be caring towards people with the disease. The importance of social and cultural perceptions of a disease and its relevance to control cannot be over-emphasized.