The Zamfara government said it offered free bilharziasis treatments to 1,110,543 school-aged children and free surgery to more than 200 patients with hydrocele in 2024.

The state Commissioner for Health, Nafisa Maradun, disclosed this in Gusau on Thursday while briefing journalists on the 6th World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day celebration.

The annual event was organised in collaboration with Sightsavers, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO).

“I am delighted to address you today on yet another historic day marked globally by the WHO as a call to action on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to our partners, Sightsavers, for supporting the government and people of Zamfara in the fight against and control of NTDs,” Ms Maradun said.

The commissioner further said that in the last distribution of Praziquantel tablets among school-aged children for the treatment and prevention of bilharziasis (bloody urine), 1,110,543 children were treated across the state.

“We also wish to acknowledge the tremendous support from our partners, especially the Sightsavers, who provided free surgical intervention to over 200 patients with hydrocele across the state in our collective efforts to eliminate elephantiasis. In addition to these achievements, 78,000 people were treated for soil-transmitted helminths in Bakura LGA,” the commissioner said.

Ms Maradun added that the ministry would ensure the prompt release of funds for NTDs’ activities as a sign of commitment to the programme’s sustainability in the fight against the diseases in the state.

“I am glad that tremendous achievements have been made regarding NTDs over the years in Zamfara and Nigeria as a whole, but that will not stop us from making further efforts to eliminate them. I want to assure the people of Zamfara that the Governor Dauda Lawal-led administration is committed to improving the health indices in the state through system strengthening. The NTDs are a group of parasitic infections that are major causes of preventable blindness and disability.

“The Zamfara Government, under Governor Dauda Lawal, in collaboration with the Sightsavers, has committed adequate resources to the fight against NTDs. With the support of our partners, such as Sightsavers, we have achieved the interruption of onchocerciasis (River Blindness) transmission in six local government areas that were previously endemic,” she said.

According to the commissioner, the LGAs included Anka, Bukkuyum, Bungudu, Maru, Tsafe, and Zurmi.

“Similarly, trachoma-endemic LGAs such as Bungudu, Kaura Namoda, Maradun, Tsafe, and Zurmi are now under control and no longer require preventive drug treatment. The lymphatic filariasis, which was endemic in all 14 LGAs of the state, is now under control. All the 14 LGAs in the state have attained five or more effective therapeutic coverage during the mass administration of medicine and are now due for the pre-transmission assessment survey,” Ms Maradun said.

She said, “What remains for the state to control is schistosomiasis (Bilharziasis). I am glad that tremendous achievements have been made regarding NTDs over the years in Zamfara and Nigeria as a whole. But that will not stop us from making further efforts to eliminate them.” 

(NAN)