The Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at the University of Ghana, Professor John Owusu Gyapong has called on former presidents in the West African sub-region to lead a campaign for the elimination of some of the most common diseases in the sub-region such as Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis), poliomyelitis, measles and rubella.Speaking at an inaugural lecture on the topic ‘Disease Elimination in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st Century: Fact or Fantasy’, Prof. Gyapong stressed the importance for former leaders, such as former Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor to lead the campaign for the elimination of one of the most common diseases – Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis) – explaining that their involvement in the fight will draw attention to disease as well as the need to get rid of it.Elephantiasis is a disease that is characterized by the thickening of the skin and its underlying tissues, especially in the legs and male genital area. In some cases the disease can cause certain body parts, such as the scrotum, to swell to the size of a softball, basketball or even bigger. This is caused by a round worm called Wuchereria bancrofti.To ensure a successful eradication of the disease, Prof. Gyapong called on the appropriate authorities to be ready to invest in research, a very significant stage of the eradication process.He also encouraged local philanthropists to donate to the cause of carrying out research into the causes of diseases.He also called on the NHIS to fund public health interventions to control the rate at which people fall sick rather than waiting for them to come to the hospital for treatment.According to him, the media has over the years often misquoted experts in their reportage on the prevalence of various medical conditions, a situation he says causes fear among members of the public. He thus asked the media to be good advocates to help in the eradication process.He noted that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Merck, two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies have made an enormous donation of Abendazole and Ivermectin to Africa for the treatment of elephantiasis.To make the eradication process a fact and not a fantasy, Prof. Gyapong stressed the need for elephantiasis to be eradicated not only in Ghana but also in surrounding countries as well since mosquitoes which are the main cause of the disease, know no boundaries.