Insecurity Hampers Proper Assessment In Eradicating NTDs- Sightsavers Nig

The Program Director Neglected Tropical Disease, Sightsavers Nigeria, Mrs Anita Gwom has attributed insecurity in some parts of the country as an impediment to proper assessment of progress made towards eradicating NTDs by 2030.

Mrs Gwom made this known in Abuja at a project management meeting on progress assessment of Lymphatic Filariasis and Onchocerciasis eradication.

The meeting brought together key partners, government officials, and stakeholders to discuss progress, challenges, and collaborative efforts in the fight against NTDs in the country.

Mrs Gwom explained that Nigeria has the highest burden of neglected tropical diseases in Africa with over 2 million people affected either directly or indirectly.

“As the giant of Africa, we unfortunately also lead in the prevalence of river blindness and other NTDs”.

“Insecurity prevents us from accessing areas eligible for assessment, as we cannot risk the lives of our field staff. In states like Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, and Niger, the high level of insecurity makes it impossible to assess the progress made by the program.”

She explained that Sightsavers employs community-based approaches to ensure that every eligible individual receives the necessary medication.

Gwom who noted that Sightsavers typically partners with state governments and policymakers to implement interventions, however said access to these governments can sometimes be difficult.

In a keynote address, the National Coordinator, Neglected Tropical Disease, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development, Fatai Oyediran said the fight to control or eliminate NTDs in Nigeria has gone on for over three decades and significant progress had been achieved though not without challenges.

According to Oyediran, “with the support of our NGDO partners, funders, and academia. Today, we have eliminated Onchocerciasis in two states and interrupted the transmission of the disease in 9 states, while another nine states have attained advanced stages of the implementation milestones and may interrupt transmission before the end of the year 2025.”

He explained further, “The same goes for the lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Programme that has now achieved the interruption of Lymphatic Filariasis transmission in a total of 379 LGAs.

Other stakeholders at the occasion which included representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates World Health Organisations, pledged continuous support for Nigeria to overcome various health challenges endangering the lives of its citizens.

Florence Adewale, Edited By Grace Namiji