Wenchi: More than 300 persons in the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono region have been infected with elephantiasis, Dr. Vera Serwaa Opoku, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research (KCCR), has said. She noted that out of 4,954 individuals tested in a clinical screening exercise conducted in the municipality, 328 were confirmed positive. The center has already administered drugs to those infected.
According to Ghana Web, Dr. Opoku revealed the outcome of the screening exercise during an interview on the sidelines of a meeting of the Wenchi Municipal Directorate of Health in Wenchi. The screening was conducted over a six-month period in 2025. Dr. Opoku mentioned that while the infected individuals could be treated with the administered drugs, the treatment process would take about two years from the commencement of medication.
Dr. Opoku emphasized the importance of protecting oneself from mosquito bites by keeping surroundings clean and clearing weedy areas and choked gutters. She explained that infected mosquitoes transmit elephantiasis to humans through bites and stressed the need for personal hygiene.
She also advised people to sleep under insecticide-treated nets, as the mosquitoes are most active in the evenings and early morning hours. Infected mosquitoes thrive around water basins, open gutters, bushy environments, and waterways. Dr. Opoku encouraged individuals experiencing unusual symptoms in these areas to seek medical checkups promptly.
Elephantiasis, also known as lymphatic filariasis, is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic worms transmitted via mosquito bites. It leads to severe, permanent swelling (lymphedema), skin thickening, and hardening, typically affecting the legs, arms, or genitals. The infection often results in physical disability, pain, and societal stigmatization in tropical regions.