FG Boosts Efforts To Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases By 2030

The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), has said that the country is making significant progress as it works toward the 2030 target for the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

The Director of Research at NIMR, Dr. Babatunde Adewale, disclosed this during the institute’s monthly media engagement, aimed at educating the public on recent research developments and health findings.

According to Adewale, the NTDs is a group of condition, caused by variety of pathogens like bacteria, fungi, parasite, and virus, mostly associated with rural areas.

On Thursday June 26, Fifty African Union (AU) Member States endorsed a groundbreaking digital micro-planning platform aimed at fast-tracking the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) across the continent by 2030.

The platform, launched by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) via a webinar, was developed in collaboration with AU Member States, the World Health Organization (WHO), the END Fund, and other technical partners.

The inititative represents a significant step toward addressing diseases that disproportionately affect the continent’s most vulnerable populations.

Adewale said the country is currently at the stage of interruption of transmission of the disease, thereby, moving from the era of control to elimination of river blindness.

He further stated that no fewer than 37 million Nigerians have been taken off the treatment of river blindness, while 43 million are still at risk and eligible for treatment.

The Director added that over 10 states in the country have achieved the stage of interruption of transmission and are still under surveillance to prevent resurgence of the disease.

He also spoke on onchocerciasis, an NTD, commonly known as river blindness, which he said is transmitted through bites from infected black flies.

According to him, the disease which is common in almost all states in Nigeria, with the exception of Lagos and Rivers, has its treatment in a continuous process.

Adewale also pointed out Ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug approved by the World Health Organisation, noting that is used for the treatment and control of NTD diseases.

“With the advent of Ivermectin, which is the drug of choice for the control of river blindness as far back in the 90’s, when the control began in Nigeria, the strategy adopted was mass administration of Ivermectin.

“Studies from Nigeria, Mali and Senegal have shown that Ivermectin, instead of just controlling river blindness, can also eliminate the disease. So, instead of looking at control of the disease, there was a paradigm shift from the initial control strategy to elimination.

“The mode of treatment adopted is the community directive treatment where members of the community are engaged and appoint individuals who are train to handle the distribution of the drug,” Adewale explained.

He also pointed out that the institute belonged to a network of four laboratories in the country that supported the Federal Ministry of Health to access the progress made toward elimination of the disease.

Additionally, he said the institute also provided technical expertise and research back up, which he described as one of the major components of the institute.

However, Adewale lamented that the rate of insecurity in some parts of the country is hindering access to some endemic communities.