It has been discovered that in Bauchi State all the 20 LGAs in the state with the exception of Katagum are endemic of one or more of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
The disclosure was made by the Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BASPHCDA), Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, while addressing Journalists in his office, on Monday, during the 2022 World NTDs Day which was declared by over 300 global leaders at second biennial “Reaching the Last Mile”(RLM) forum in Abu Dabi saying that only Katagum LGA is free of all the diseases based on the mapping results.
Rilwanu Mohammed disclosed that already, the state is working in partnership with UNICEF and a local NGO known as Mission To Save The Helpless (MITOSATH) in the effort to eliminate NTDs in the state.
According to him, “We are here today to commemorate the 2022 World NTDs Day. This year NTDs day has the theme: ‘Achieving health equity to end the neglect of poverty-related diseases.”
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He explained that the aim of celebrating the day is to create awareness to the general public on the existence of the diseases, their danger in relation to poverty and the control measures to put in place.
The BASPHCDA chairman added: “These diseases affect about a billion people worldwide and are found in Tropical environments in communities with poor sanitation, lack of potable water and poor personal hygiene.”
Rilwanu Mohammed explained that there are over 20 NTDs across the globe, depending on the endemicity of an area after mapping (Survey) is conducted.
He disclosed that Nigeria as a country is endemic of about 12 of them over 20 NTDs and is targeting the following for elimination:- Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Trachoma, Schistosomiasis, Soil-Transmitted Helminths, Buruli Ulcer
Leprosy and Guinea worm disease.
He further said that during the year under review the state was able to do Treatment for Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis in 5 LGAs; Pre-TAS in 1 LGA for LF transmission; Trained 248 health workers; Conducted hydroceleptomy surgeries for 137 persons as well as Conducted Trichiasis surgery for 1,926 persons.
“We are facing the challenge of not receiving required medicine from Federal Ministry of Health to complete treatment in the remaining endemic LGAs,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, available records revealed that a total of 987,635 were treated for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Bauchi State in the year 2021.
The record made available to Journalists by the Directorate of NTDs in the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BASPHCDA) has it that the treatment was carried out in five LGAs of the state which are: Kirfi, Bogoro, Warji, Toro and Giade.
According to the record, the target audience for the treatment is mostly children above five years considering that they are the most vulnerable to the diseases.
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