2.65 million children dewormed in 2024 — Oyo govt

Oyo State Government said that in 2024, at least 2.65 million children received free, safe, and cost-effective medicines to control worms transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated foods and water and contact with contaminated soil.

The Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary HealthCare Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji, who disclosed this during the commemoration of the year 2025 World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) celebration by the Board in collaboration with Evidence Action, said 387,316 contacts were also treated for schistosomiasis, also a reason for anemia in the community.

Dr Olatunji said soil-transmitted helminths, schistosomiasis, elephantiasis, and onchocerciasis (river blindness) were NTDs endemic in Oyo State, with 28 local government areas endemic for onchocerciasis, 10 for elephantiasis, 28 for schistosomiasis, and 33 for soil-transmitted helminths.

According to him, although NTDs are diverse, they disproportionately affect populations living in poverty, predominantly in tropical and subtropical areas, imposing significant health, social, and economic burdens on over 1 billion people globally.

“If untreated, they could lead to disability and stigmatisation. River blindness, if not treated, could lead to loss of sight, while schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths can result in anaemia. The long-term effects of some NTDs can be catastrophic and can even lead to death,” he added.

He declared that the board, with support from CBM, also conducted surgical intervention for people with hydroceles and hernias as well as management of ulcers resulting from the disease.

Dr Olatunji asked for a concerted and united effort to eradicate NTDs in every nook and cranny of our society for a healthy and virile population, urging that the media support the dissemination of appropriate information on NTDs.

Chairman, House committee on Health, Honourable Rilwan Gbadamosi declared that the emphasis should be more on creating awareness about NTDs and their treatment, particularly at the grassroots.

Executive Chairman of Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYSUBEB), Dr Nureni Adediran, in a goodwill message, declared that NTDs cannot be ruled out from children from ages 5 to 14 years because of their active nature, walking barefoot, swimming in brooks, open defecation, and urination in the open by many people.

Represented by Mr Adewale Adeyemi, OYSUBEB’s director of social mobilisation, he said school-based deworming, one of the interventions to curtail NTDs, in the long term, ensures a decrease in school absenteeism, better mental health, reduced social stigma due to severe deformities, and increased opportunities for education and employment.

Maryam Edah, senior manager in the southwest zone for Evidence Action, in a remark, said since 2017, the organization had reached 13.59 million at-risk school-age children with medicines for soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis and achieved a 93.4 per cent effective coverage of at-risk children with medicines for soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis in the state in 2024.

Edah, represented by Mr Emmanuel Dare, said Evidence Action remains committed to scaling up proven low-cost health interventions to improve the health of many people, especially children.

She called for unity and action to end the suffering caused by NTDs among the vulnerable population, especially children, and called for unity of action and investment to ensure that children remain worm-free and in the state.

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