{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]],"date-time":"2025-08-27T00:17:28Z","timestamp":1756253848157,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]],"date-time":"2025-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756166400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Buruli ulcer (BU) is caused by <jats:italic>Mycobacterium ulcerans<\/jats:italic> (MU), but the mode of transmission is unclear. BU starts as a nodule, which can progress to ulcer if not treated. Most of the affected seek help late due to socio-cultural beliefs of the cause of the disease, leading to long treatment course and disability. Therefore, to raise awareness about the disease and detect early forms of BU cases for treatment, the National Service Personnel Association of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NSPA-NMIMR) conducted BU Community Health Education and Medical Screening (BU-CHEMS) in four endemic communities in the Ga South District of Ghana.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method<\/jats:title><jats:p>Between April\u2013June 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, <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f58), blood pressure (<jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f71) and blood group test (<jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f424).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>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\u202f\u2265\u202f25\u202fkg\/m<jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> (overweight\/obese, 43%) and hypertension (\u2265130\u202fmmHg, 49%) received medical counselling.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>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).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1620853","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]],"date-time":"2025-08-26T14:19:42Z","timestamp":1756217982000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Buruli ulcer community health education and medical screening in Ga South District, Ghana"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Charles A.","family":"Narh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edwin","family":"Tetteh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"NSPA-NMIMR","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lydia","family":"Mosi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dorothy","family":"Yeboah-Manu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"657","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.14024","article-title":"Buruli ulcer, tuberculosis and leprosy: exploring the one health dimensions of three most prevalent mycobacterial diseases: a narrative review","volume":"29","author":"Spiliopoulos","year":"2024","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2183","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2512.190427","article-title":"Global epidemiology of Buruli ulcer, 2010-2017, and analysis of 2014 WHO programmatic targets","volume":"25","author":"Omansen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Emerg Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.4172\/2161-1068.1000184","article-title":"Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Mastomys natalensis and potential transmission in Buruli ulcer endemic areas in cote d\u2019Ivoire","volume":"5","author":"Dassi","year":"2015","journal-title":"Mycobact Dis."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0003437","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0003437","article-title":"Source tracking Mycobacterium ulcerans infections in the Ashanti region, Ghana","volume":"9","author":"Narh","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"377","DOI":"10.1038\/s41564-023-01553-1","article-title":"Mosquitoes provide a transmission route between possums and humans for Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia","volume":"9","author":"Mee","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat Microbiol"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1015","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.1998.59.1015","article-title":"Socioeconomic implications of Buruli ulcer in Ghana: a three-year review","volume":"59","author":"Asiedu","year":"1998","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0006560","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0006560","article-title":"Laboratory confirmation of Buruli ulcer cases in Ghana, 2008-2016","volume":"12","author":"Yeboah-Manu","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0012093","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012093","article-title":"Stigma experiences, effects and coping among individuals affected by Buruli ulcer and yaws in Ghana","volume":"18","author":"Tuwor","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.1186\/1472-6963-13-507","article-title":"Household cost of out-patient treatment of Buruli ulcer in Ghana: a case study of Obom in Ga south municipality","volume":"13","author":"Amoakoh","year":"2013","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1186\/s13104-018-3172-5","article-title":"Perceived causes and risk factors of Buruli ulcer among patients at Agogo Presbyterian hospital in Ashanti region of Ghana","volume":"11","author":"Anokye","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Res Notes"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1155\/2016\/5310718","article-title":"Clinical and laboratory diagnosis of Buruli ulcer disease: a systematic review","volume":"2016","author":"Sakyi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-13-59","article-title":"Enhancing Buruli ulcer control in Ghana through social interventions: a case study from the Obom sub-district","volume":"13","author":"Ahorlu","year":"2013","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1239","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-016-3901-4","article-title":"Overweight and obesity epidemic in Ghana\u2014a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"16","author":"Ofori-Asenso","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"739","DOI":"10.1093\/eurheartj\/ehy891","article-title":"New blood pressure cut-offs, prevalence of hypertension and control, and mood disorders: are patients benefitting from lower cut-offs for defining hypertension?","volume":"40","author":"Schiffrin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur Heart J"},{"key":"ref15","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1186\/s12866-020-02070-5","article-title":"Microbiology of secondary infections in Buruli ulcer lesions; implications for therapeutic interventions","volume":"21","author":"Gyamfi","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Microbiol"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.1186\/s40249-021-00891-8","article-title":"Mental health and quality of life burden in Buruli ulcer disease patients in Ghana","volume":"10","author":"Amoako","year":"2021","journal-title":"Infect Dis Poverty"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1367586","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1367586","article-title":"Epidemiological overlaps in COVID-19 and malaria within healthcare and community settings of southern Ghana","volume":"12","author":"Amegatcher","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Public Health"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1620853\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]],"date-time":"2025-08-26T14:19:44Z","timestamp":1756217984000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1620853\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]]},"references-count":18,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1620853"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1620853","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]]},"article-number":"1620853"}}