Ogun reiterates commitment to eradicating neglected tropical diseases

OGUN State government has reaffirmed its commitment to scaling up measures to eradicate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) across the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, gave this assurance in Abeokuta while addressing newsmen as part of activities commemorating the maiden edition of the World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day with the theme, ‘Beat NTDs: For Good, For All’.

Dr Coker described NTDs as infectious diseases associated with poverty and found mainly in the tropics, adding that sufferers of the diseases develop disabilities with attendant negative socio-economic consequences.

She listed the state endemic NTDs to include; Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Soil transmitted Helminthes, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer, saying the state had been sensitizing people to  the diseases.

“With support from our partners and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the state’s Universal Basic Education Board ( SUBEB), Ogun State NTDs control programme  trained 8,500 teachers and treated 780, 657 school-age children in 6,000 schools in 2019.

“We also collaborated with United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and community development associations across the state to train 5,000 Community directed distributors, as a result, 2,874, 389 people across 18 endemic LGAs were treated in 2018”, she said.

The commissioner, who described the theme of the 2020 NTD Day as apt, called on the media to support the campaign by providing continuous sensitization to the diseases.

She said NTDs could be avoided through regular deworming, urging parents and school proprietors to avail themselves of the state government’s bi-annual school-based deworming exercise.