…urge Nigerians on keeping environment clean

…call for cooperation on eliminating NTDs before 2030

By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

THE Federal Government, Sightsavers Nigeria, and State Governments, Christian Blind Mission, CBM, and other stakeholders have disclosed readiness to eliminate five Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs, across the country with a national guideline.

Explaining the renewed efforts by stakeholders, during a three-day Meeting to Finalize Lymphatic Filariasis MMDP National Guideline’, organized by Sightsavers Nigeria the National Coordinator, NTDs, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Nse Akpan, said the guideline became imperative to properly manage morbidity and disability across the country.

Akpan further stated that some people in Nigeria that have disabilities are not by accident rahter are induced by the disease coming from NTDs.

He said: “The essence of the gathering is to ensure that we have guidelines strictly on management of mobility and disability by these Neglected Tropical Diseases in the country.

“People that have disabilities some are not by accident rather some are induced by the disease coming from Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs; brawler ulcer, leprosy, elephantiasis.

“So many of the diseases from the Neglected Tropical Disease group induce disabilities, and we know what it takes to be disabled in the country, how and what they face.

He also said stakeholders will use the training and guidelines on reaching as many patients they can reach out, “and we want to ensure that we have guidelines that speak towards addressing the burden of these people and this disease.

“If possible we work towards interruption and elimination. The goal of the global community is to ensure that we work towards the elimination of this disease so that we can reduce the spread of diseases and also ensure that people are not infected at the end they come up with this disability.”

Meanwhile, he (Akpan) recalled that in 2013, Nigeria was able to eliminate one of the NTDs called Guinea-worm, and now the target is to eliminate the remaining five NTDs.

“In fact, the goal is to eliminate these diseases in the country. We want to be free of it.

“In 2013, we were able to eliminate one and that was Guinea-worm, and we are working to ensure we eliminate the remaining five; preventive chemotherapy, tropical disease and that is our target,” he stated.

However, he disclosed that the World Health Organisation, WHO, has given Nigeria a timeline of between 2023 and 2030 to “eliminate one or two of the NTDs but our dream in the country is to be able to eliminate all the five.

“It may not be possible but we are making progress, at least we have been able to interrupt in some States, in some Local Government Areas we have been able to stop the transmission of these diseases, and some we have eliminated these diseases in Nasarawa and Plateau States.

“We are not closing our eyes, we are still doing what we call surveillance to ensure that we do not have diseases again, which are no more there, the transmission is being interrupted. So that is why we are working and we are hopeful that before the end of this year, we will be able to extend to about four or five States, and if possible, up to 20 States.”

He called on stakeholders and the media to work together by joining hands because NTDs cut across so many sectors.

“So we cannot do it alone; the Water, Education, Environment, and Health Ministries have to be there including the media”, he added.

Meanwhile, on the prevention of NTDs, he counseled that there are drugs available Nigerians can access to prevent the diseases, and added that hygiene and sanitation practices can also prevent them, hence Nigerians should keep their environment clean, and also constant education about the diseases would help prevent them including early reporting of the disease.

He also pointed out that there are challenges that mar the programme which include poor sanitation practices, myth, superstition, illiteracy level, and late arrival of medicines.

“So there are a lot of factors that mar the success of this programme, which we are still informing people to come up and get treated because once you are treated you will be able to come out of the disease”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Senior Programme Manager, NTDs, Sightsavers, Anita Gwom also maintained that, “The guidelines are very important because that is what State governments and partners are going to use to implement the programme of the various implementation units that are the local governments in the States.

“For us (Sightsavers) it is very important because we have the target and timeline for the elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) in Nigeria, and the target is by 2030, and we are hoping that all the States in Nigeria would have eliminated the disease in all the local Government Areas that are endemic of this disease.”

According to her they have a roadmap to tackle the disease and over 9,000 cases have been tackled so far, “We have a roadmap and plan from where we started and all we have done, and the plan is by that time which is called the Global Target for LF and the NTD unit of the Federal Ministry of Health and that is why we are working and supporting so that we meet that target.”

She added that in spite of the challenges Sightsavers is rendering quality services to ensure the patients get the best and she said that 30 States are endemic with LF, and all the 774 LGAs are endemic of the disease, but the organisation is working at the community level to find those who are down with the disease.