The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has achieved a historic milestone for Ghanaian science and public health with the publication of a landmark review in Nature Human Behaviour, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals.
Authored by a team of UHAS researchers, the article, titled “Current State and Future Directions of Interventions for Neglected Tropical Diseases”, and is being hailed as a major contribution to the global fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Led by Professor John Owusu Gyapong, a renowned clinical epidemiologist and Immediate Past Vice-Chancellor of UHAS, the publication marks the first time a team affiliated with the university has appeared in Nature Human Behaviour. The achievement not only underscores UHAS’s rising profile in global health research but also places Ghana at the forefront of efforts to eliminate diseases that disproportionately affect under-resourced communities.
NTDs affect more than a billion people worldwide, with sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America bearing the heaviest burden. These diseases, though preventable and often treatable, continue to cause severe health, social, and economic hardships. The UHAS team’s comprehensive review explores current intervention strategies, including preventive chemotherapy, vector control, innovative disease management, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs. However, the authors argue that traditional approaches alone are insufficient to achieve the goal of eliminating NTDs by 2030.
Central to their findings is the pivotal role of human behaviour and genuine community engagement.
“Because human behaviour affects treatment adherence, health-seeking behaviour, and community participation, it is fundamental to the success of these interventions,” the authors write. Their analysis demonstrates that programs grounded in authentic community participation are far more likely to succeed in the long term.
The review also brings to light the regional disparities that hinder progress, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Challenges such as poor logistics, dependence on donor funding, social stigma, and rising drug resistance continue to undermine efforts. In response, the authors call for context-specific strategies that are tailored to the unique political, social, and economic realities of each region.
Looking forward, the team presents a bold roadmap for the future, calling for a paradigm shift in how NTDs are addressed globally. This includes a greater emphasis on resource prioritisation, AI-driven diagnostics, cross-sectoral collaboration, and stronger health systems. The paper concludes with a call for deeper community engagement and investment in innovative, integrated approaches: “Future directions for the global programme must prioritise funding and resource allocation, strengthened health systems, innovative research and development including AI-driven diagnostics, integrated approaches, and CEI to sustain and accelerate progress in NTD control and elimination.”
The publication was the result of a strong interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars across different fields.
In addition to Professor Gyapong, the team includes Mawuli Gohoho, a field epidemiologist and senior public health officer at the Jasikan Municipal Health Directorate; Dr. Alfred Kwesi Manyeh, an epidemiologist and director of the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases Research at UHAS; Dr. Mustapha Immurana, a health economist and director of the Centre for Health Policy and Implementation Research at UHAS; and Professor Margaret Gyapong, a medical anthropologist and former director of the Institute of Health Research at UHAS.
Founded in 2011 in Ho, in Ghana’s Volta Region, the University of Health and Allied Sciences is the country’s only public university solely dedicated to health sciences. With a growing reputation in research, education, and community-based health innovation, UHAS is rapidly emerging as a centre of excellence in global health leadership.
By: Daniel Orlando/newsalertgh.com
