The Federal Ministry of Health in partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Trachoma Initiative and non-governmental organizations have reaffirmed their commitment towards eliminating Neglected Tropical Disease in Nigeria.
This was contained in a speech delivered by the Director of Public Health, Evelyn Ngige, in Abuja while celebrating the progress of partnering with other concerned bodies who are determined to help eliminate blinding Trachoma Nigeria, and other African countries.
She said, “it is pertinent to note that stakeholders in and outside Nigeria have chosen to gather here to celebrate progress made towards eliminating one of the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs),more than 10 million people in Nigeria are at risk of getting or have untreated NTDS.
“NTDs are poverty related and degenerating diseases, they include diseases such as Trachoma, leprosy, buruli ulcer ,elephantiasis, soil transmitted helminthes, schistosomiasis and river blindness among others, and our government has launched a robust and integrated multi-year national plan to control and eliminate the disease in the country by 2020”.
In addition to this Astrid Bonfield, the CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, said, “Since 2014,The queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Trachoma Initiative has supported the Nigerian government, working with members of the international coalition for Trachoma control (ICTC), and coordinated by Sightsavers, to eliminate blinding Trachoma.
“The disease can be treated and prevented but are known to affect the poorest, most marginalized, and most remote communities in the world. Their thrive where access to potable water, sanitation and hygiene, healthcare and good housing conditions are limited or even totally lacking. Their impact on individual and communities can be devastating many of them cause severe dis-figuration and disabilities,” she said.
Nigeria bears 25 percent of the NTDs burden in the African sub region with some of the NTDS being in the highest number of reported cases globally, and which makes them to impact negatively on life expectancy, education and economic opportunities of affected individuals and the communities they live in.
The Federal Ministry of Health is currently working with a number of donor countries and organizations, as well as NGO partners on programmes to eliminate 10 NTDs in the country as part of the World Health Organization global targets for NTDs control and elimination by 2020.
There have been modest achievements made in the control and elimination of these NTDs in Nigeria like the eradication of Guinea worm disease in Nigeria and interruption of transmission of Trachoma and lymphatic Filariasis in Plateau and Nassarawa states.
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