Tropical Disease: Over .5m School Children Affected In Nasarawa State – Official
BY AHMED TUKUUR, LAFIA – Nasarawa state government in collaboration with the Carter Centre have work out plans to treat 560, 000 school age children of tropical diseases.
The State Commissioner for Health, Mr Baba Yahaya Ahmed, who disclosed this during the celebration of 2021 neglected tropical diseases day in Lafia, also said that the state government with its partners will train 2,540 school teachers and 42 school supervisors.
Ahmed explained that while his ministry will provide the manpower, infrastructure and funds, the Carter Centre will provide support in the area of capacity building and medicine procurement and distribution
The commissioner also said that the state Government through the ministry of health has received 199, 950 tablets of mebendazola and 850, 000 tablets of praziquantel from the Federal Ministry of Health for treatment of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) for school age children, enrolled and those not enrolled in public and private primary and junior secondary schools in the state respectively.
Ahmed further said that Nasarawa State is endemic to five of the Neglected Tropical Diseases which include Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Trachoma and Soil Transmitted Helminths with 13 Local Government Areas of the state affected with the diseases.
He said that with the support of its partners, the ministry has trained 390 health workers, 3, 019 teachers, 1,003 community distributors, conducted a free hydrocele Surgery for 180 patients in 2020.
The commissioner added that the state has also set up a 7 hope groups for management of Elephantiasis patients in seven Local Government Areas, 11 Social Mobilization Officers and 36 School Supervisors.
Ahmed however gave a plan for year 2021, saying with the collaboration with the Carter Centre, the state government intends to mobilize and train additional 390 health workers, 10 health Facility staff, set up more hope group with elephantiasis, 2,540 school teachers, 13 social Mobilization officers, 737 community Distributors and 42 school supervisors.
