United Nations Children’s Fund Consultant, Dr Hilary Adie, has drawn a connection between poverty, lack of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and poor social behavioural change as key reasons why the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases remains an uphill task.
Adie made this disclosure during a media dialogue on NTD elimination in Gombe State, organised by UNICEF, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and MERCK.
Our correspondent reports that the seven most common NTDs include lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness), trachoma, schistosomiasis (snail fever), trichuriasis (whipworm), ascariasis (roundworm), and hookworm.
Presenting on the Global Strategy on WASH to Combat NTDs (2021–2030), Adie said the strategy aims to mobilise WASH and NTD actors to work together towards achieving the roadmap targets.
He added, “Accelerated and sustained achievement of the NTD roadmap targets, particularly among the poorest and most vulnerable, through better-targeted and joint WASH and NTD efforts.”
Speaking further on the vicious cycle of poverty and disease, he said, “Poverty, poor access to basic WASH, contamination of the environment in communities, disability, medical costs, stigmatisation and exclusion, exposure to infection.”
Adie further urged the health sector to deploy competent personnel to implement NTD activities and to provide policy direction for their execution at state and local government levels.
He said, “Also, the Planning Commission/Ministry of Finance should provide a budget line for NTD elimination activities. Ensure release of budgeted funds for NTD activities. Increase budgetary allocations, and release of counterpart funds for WASH activities.”
Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, described NTDs as painful given that they are entirely preventable.
Rafique said, “One painful thing is that these diseases are completely preventable, eliminable and we are still having those in Gombe and in Nigeria, it’s very unfortunate. It means we need to focus on these things, put our resources in the right.”
Ratique who is a Public Health expert explained that the diseases cannot be prevented by vaccines, adding, “Vaccines are used for viral diseases. What we need is to promote community awareness, it can help prevent these diseases. We need to sensitise people on some of the causative agents — black fly is in flowing water, when people go to fetch water very far away they get bitten by that. The best prevention is the provision of clean drinking water, elimination of open defecation and promote hygiene. It will reduce mosquitoes and black flies, if everyone maintains clean environment and have clean water it will reduce it.”
She noted that integrating health, nutrition, and WASH was crucial in eliminating NTDs, adding, “WASH social mobilisation are key to eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases. Focus on awareness, prevention and open defecation-free, clean water and social behavioural change.”
On his part, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Musa Abdullahi, expressed optimism about the government’s commitment to rid the state’s 11 Local Government Areas and 13 Local Council Development Areas of NTDs.
He explained that, at the moment, only Kwami and Akko Local Government Areas were still grappling with NTDs. “All others are free except Akko and Kwami from NTDs. This is because of the support between the Federal Government, UNICEF and Gombe State Government.”
Also speaking, Hawau Abubakar, North-East Zonal Coordinator for NTDs, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, commended the efforts of the government and its partners, noting that the interventions would help curb NTDs in Gombe.
Abubakar called for improved awareness, saying, “It would help more people to be aware. We need to increase the knowledge around NTDs and the campaign requires everyone, including journalists.”
