{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T17:58:13Z","timestamp":1790791093384,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Leprosy, a curable neglected tropical disease, continues to affect vulnerable populations in low-resource settings despite global control efforts. In Ghana, although leprosy has been eliminated as a public health problem, new cases continue to be detected, and persons cured of leprosy (PCLs) continue to face long-term stigma, disability, and barriers to healthcare in segregated communities. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to understand the knowledge of leprosy, sources of healthcare, and challenges shaping health-seeking behaviours among PCLs in Godokpe, Ho Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methodology<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This qualitative descriptive study explored the knowledge, healthcare sources, and challenges shaping health-seeking behaviours among PCLs. Purposive sampling recruited 20 participants to reach saturation. Semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews lasting 20\u201330 minutes were conducted in Godokpe, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis in Atlas.ti version 7.5.0, following COREQ guidelines.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study revealed four central themes. Knowledge of Leprosy showed predominant supernatural attributions, including bewitchment, ancestral curses, and contaminated food, alongside rare bacterial recognition, with signs such as skin lesions, ulcers, nodules, limb deformities, loss of sensation, and body pain. Social Treatment and Stigma reflected two distinct patterns: ongoing, unevenly resolved interpersonal avoidance by family and community, contrasted with a documented shift toward equal treatment of PCLs at health facilities over time. Health-Seeking Behaviour reflected a pluralistic pattern, drawing on biomedical facilities such as the Ho Polyclinic and Ho Teaching Hospital, herbal remedies, self-medication, and spiritual or church-based healing based on perceived severity. Challenges Influencing Health-Seeking encompassed logistical barriers such as distance, transport costs, drug unavailability, and informal charging for nominally free medication; physical limitations such as mobility impairment, painful or wounded legs, and visual loss; and socioeconomic constraints such as unemployment, financial hardship, low allowances, donor dependence, and the prioritisation of food over healthcare.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study revealed persistent supernatural attributions of leprosy, an uneven trajectory of stigma reduction, pluralistic health-seeking, and layered barriers, including a documented gap between free-care entitlements and informal charging in practice, among PCLs in Godokpe. Addressing these gaps requires verification of fee-exemption entitlements at the facility level alongside sustained family- and community-level engagement, advancing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 on poverty reduction, SDG 3 on good health and well-being, and SDG 10 on reduced inequalities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0014753","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T17:29:11Z","timestamp":1790789351000},"page":"e0014753","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Understanding influences on health-seeking behaviours among persons cured of leprosy in the Godokpe community, Volta Region of Ghana: A qualitative descriptive study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Redeemer Joy","family":"Duboh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Health and Allied Sciences","place":["Hohoe, Ghana"],"department":["Department of Population and Behavioural Sciences, Fred N. 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Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/data\/gho\/data\/themes\/topics\/leprosy-hansens-disease"},{"issue":"1","key":"pntd.0014753.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.4103\/ijmr.ijmr_220_22","article-title":"Guiding policy towards zero leprosy: Challenges for modelling & economic evaluation","volume":"155","author":"DJ Blok","year":"2022","journal-title":"Indian J Med Res"},{"issue":"3","key":"pntd.0014753.ref004","first-page":"2600030","article-title":"World Leprosy Day 2026: Reflections on leprosy surveillance in Europe","volume":"31","author":"PE Fine","year":"2026","journal-title":"Eurosurveillance"},{"issue":"1","key":"pntd.0014753.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1186\/s41256-023-00314-1","article-title":"Addressing neglected tropical diseases in Africa: A health equity perspective","volume":"8","author":"NS George","year":"2023","journal-title":"Glob Health Res Policy"},{"issue":"4","key":"pntd.0014753.ref006","article-title":"Challenges of delay in diagnosis and high disability rate among newly diagnosed leprosy patients in Karachi, Pakistan","volume":"95","author":"A Murtaza","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lepr Rev"},{"key":"pntd.0014753.ref007","unstructured":"Global Health EDCTP3. From prevention to treatment: strengthening leprosy control in sub-Saharan Africa; 2026 [cited 2026 Feb 01]. Available from: https:\/\/www.global-health-edctp3.europa.eu\/news-and-events\/news\/prevention-treatment-strengthening-leprosy-control-sub-saharan-africa-2026-01-23_en"},{"key":"pntd.0014753.ref008","unstructured":"Government of Ghana, Ministry of Health, National Surveillance Unit. Technical guidelines for integrated disease surveillance and response in Ghana. Accra; 2022. 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