January 25, (THEWILL) – Alarm has been raised by Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health over the prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases in some local government areas of the state.
The state Coordinator of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) in the State, Dr Aniekeme Uwah disclosed this during an interactive session with members of the Correspondents’ chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State chapter. Saying that many people are already infected, especially in the interior areas.
Intimating the public on planned World NDT Day, Uwah, who is also the national Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigerian Medical Association explained that Neglected Tropical Diseases are about 20 ailments associated with poverty and poor living conditions prevalent in many communities in the tropical regions.
“These are diseases that are commonly found in tropical and subtropical parts of the world and they are closely associated with poverty, poor housing, poor access to potable water supply, poor access to healthcare delivery and they are not really reported.
“The lack of publicity probably is because they don’t kill as fast as other diseases like HIV, COVID-19 and the rest. And apart from that, probably because they affect the world’s poorest, they don’t get the kind of attention they should get.
“But unfortunately, these disease conditions are affecting our people. We have high morbidity even though the mortality is relatively low, they make our people not live optimally and fulfil their destinies. And very importantly is the fact that this set of diseases are endemic in Akwa Ibom.
“There are different types; Some are endemic in all Local government areas, some are endemic in about eleven while some are endemic in about four Local government areas.
“Most times we drive on the streets and see people with swollen legs or you go to the communities and see people with their swollen scrotum.
“We also have some, which leads to people having rashes on their skins. And these are rashes that you treat and treat and they just don’t heal and it also leads to blindness. Most of us have heard of river blindness ,which is spread by blackfly. So these disease conditions are there in our state in about four Local government areas.
“The roundworms, they make the children not grow optimally and we all know that the brain of the child grows optimally within the first five years of the child’s life. So if there is a condition that affects the child’s nutrition because these worms stay in the stomach of the child, they suck the nutrients the child should get. So as the child is growing up, the child is not getting enough nourishment.”
Uwah said four council areas in Akwa in the state are endemic to Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) with Blackfly as the vector, Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (Intestinal worms) affected by 31 council areas of the state, Schistosomiasis or snail fever with water snail as vector and lymphatic filariasis or Elephantiasis which had mosquitoes as the vector.
He listed the most affected council areas in the state to include: Ibeno, Ibiono Ibom, Ika and Udung Uko local government areas.
He regretted that patients of these illnesses could not receive necessary attention because of their conditions. Hence, the intervention of the World Agency to ameliorate their health challenges.
He solicited partnerships with the media ,private sector, entrepreneurs to bail out the vulnerable from their conditions.
“So, that is why 30th of January was set aside as world’s NTDs day to create awareness on the Neglected tropical diseases. To let people know and appreciate that these conditions still exist. There are these ones that cause blindness in the northern part of the country, Tacoma which is transmitted by the housefly”, He stressed.
He rolled out an itinerary of activities to mark the World NTD Day in Akwa Ibom State to include: road walk, media chat, Thanksgiving service, workshop etc.
