By Doosuur Iwambe
The effects of Neglected Tropical Diseases can be devastating causing disability, childhood malnutrition, blindness, and reduced productivity.
However, public awareness and participation in NTDs control activities is uncertain. In this report, DOOSUUR IWAMBE examines the negative effects of the scourge and how it can be contained.
Mrs. Oluwakemi Ademola (not real name) is a 52-year-old widow. She is a petty trader in Oke-Ado market, Ibadan Southwest Local Government Area of Oyo state.
When she first discovered that she had elephantiasis medically referred to as ‘lymphatic filariasis’, she thought it was a spiritual attack.
The mother of three who lost her husband five years ago told our reporter that she has been suffering from the disease for over 12 years now.
Giving a vivid account of how the problem started, she said that her legs started itching her when she got pregnant with her first child, adding that she had visited several traditional healers with no relief.
‘’The whole thing started when I got pregnant with my first child. Whenever I am pregnant, the swelling in the leg will increase and whenever I deliver the baby, it would go down.
I used to think that may be I stepped on something or it was some kind of evil forces and that is what I still think till date.
‘’Since I had my three children, the leg has refused to come down. I have been in this condition for over 12 years.
If anything affects or touches the leg, water will start coming out and at the same time, it would be itching me.
It would first bring out blood and later water.
‘’I went to seek help from traditional healers because I believed someone poured something on the ground for me to march on.
But when I realized that the condition was not improving, I started going to a healthcare facility around my area,” she said.
Ademola who wants to live a normal life is calling on the federal government to assist her with modern drugs that would make her well again.
Also, the story of 21-years old Mrs. Chiamanda Ugochukwu, from Ohuhu community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State is similar to that of Ademola.
Ugochukwu who is pregnant with her first child has been in that condition for the past five years.
She said that the sickness started before she met her husband when she was still hustling to make ends meet.
‘’I have been in this condition for the past five years. It all started when I was still hustling to make ends meet.
That was before I met my husband. I came back from work that fateful day and as I was preparing to have my bath, I noticed a sharp pain in my leg. I quickly alerted my mother because we were staying together then.
‘’She told me that may be it was too much of stress that caused it. She massaged the leg with hot water and thereafter applied Shea butter popularly referred to as ‘ori’ in local palance.
That night I could not sleep only for me to wake up the following day to discover that the leg had become very big.
“We started applying native medicine on it before someone advised us to seek medical attention’’, she added.
Ademola and Ugochukwu are among the thousands of adults in Nigeria with enormously swollen legs, arms and breast with the belief that they are under some kind of attack by unseen forces.
Lymphatic filariasis is one of about a dozen diseases that are known as NTDs . They occur mostly among the poor in rural communities. People are not well aware of filariasis in their communities.
In Nigeria, only 10 percent of Nigerians are aware that filariasis is caused through mosquito bites; the rest attribute it to many other causes as the knowledge about its transmission and prevention has remained very poor.
In Nigeria, an estimated 122 million people are at risk of at least one NTDs due to poverty, poor access to basic health facilities and amenities in the country.
Even though the Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to reducing the prevalence of NTDs in the country, a recent statistic reveals that 40% of sufferers live in Africa.
Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike, Director and National Coordinator, Neglected Tropical Diseases Elimination Programme, Federal Ministry of Health at a media dialogue organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the UNICEF had said that the government had made some achievements which includes: the donation of medicines used annually in production, shipping and other logistics.
In his presentation on the “Eliminating of Neglected Tropical diseases- challenges and Prospects,” Dr. Anyaike said, more than 200 million cumulative treatments were achieved in 2019 while the U.S. Center for Disease Control has set up a multifunctional laboratory in-country at the centre for analysis of NTD-specific samples.
He said, “Since 1991, UNICEF support Onchocerciasis aid control in 12 states using funds from UNICEF, USA.
“UNICEF has been working with the NTDs team -FMOH, states and LGAs to render support in Niger, Benue, Oyo, Bauchi,Cross River,Ondo, Ekiti,Osun, Gombe, Ogun, Bayelsa and Rivers State.
“Together, UNICEF support targets 206 LGAs in 12 project states.”
On his part, Mr. Geoffrey Njoku, Communication Specialist, UNICEF, said, “The diseases have been forgotten, adding that if nothing was done, they might spread the same way COVID-19 did.
Njoku noted that the objective of the dialogue was for the media to understand why those diseases are neglected.
According to him, the dialogue would enable the media to create more awareness on the diseases.
NTDs threaten more than 1.5 billion people living in the poorest and most marginalized communities worldwide.
These diseases blind, disable and disfigure people, taking away not only their health, but also their chances of staying in school, earning a living, or even being accepted by their families or communities.
Nigeria accounts for over 40% of the burden of NTDs in Africa. Due to the deep-rooted poverty in majority of the population, about 60 million Nigerians are at risk of contracting NTDs or already have untreated cases of at least one NTDs.15 of the 20 NTDs recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) have their abode in Nigeria.
Notable ones include; Blinding Trachoma, Buruli ulcer, Human African Trypanosomiasis, Dengue fever, Schistosomiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Onchocerciasis, Leprosy and Soil transmitted helminthes.
Since 2012, about 31 countries have eliminated at least one NTD. Although, Nigeria has made significant progress, some implementation targets are yet to be reached or have only received suboptimal coverages.
READ ALSO: LASG set to reduce malnutrition indices
Dr. Clement Peter, WHO Nigeria Officer in Charge said, “NTDs, unfortunately have lower awareness and visibility in most endemic communities.
At this instance, we should encourage sustained awareness creation on regular basis and not rely on the once yearly NTD day.
We should particularly target reduction of discrimination in all aspects for NTDs.”
Providing treatment in endemic communities to populations for prevention can save groups of persons from being infected by any of the NTDs, however, for those already infected, treatment can also alleviate and control the spread of the disease.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.