Rabiu Omaku
Irked the by the rising spate of lassa fever, Nasarawa state Ministry of health has extended it sensitization campaign to mosque, Dr.Musa Abdullahi has adviced worshippers to enhance total hygiene as a precautionary measure against the outbreak of lassa fever epidemic.
Dr.Musa emphasized this during a sermon after Zuhr prayer at the Ministry, urging people to keep their environment clean as well to keep their food in a safer place.
Dr.Musa Abdullahi admonished those buying beans cake in an old newspaper to desist from such ,saying rat which is the causative agent may have come into contact with old newspaper which are used for the wrapping of beans cake, Fried Yam, Suya which may contains the faeces or urine of the deadly rodents.
In a related development, the state Ministry of Health to mark the first World Neglected Tropical Diseases day, The Nasarawa state commissioner of Health, Pharmacy Ahmed Baba Yahaya attributed poor drinking water, poor sanitation and personal hygiene causes a lot of morbidity and disability.
The commissioner averred that Nasarawa state was prone to Onchocerciasis Lymphatic Filariasis,Schistomiasis,Trachoma,Human and Animal Trypanosomiasis (HAT),Dengue Fever,Buruli Ulcer,Yaws,Leishmaniasis,Soil Transmitted Helminthes,Rabies,Leprosy,Snake bite,Guinea Worm and Mycetoma.
“Nasarawa state is endemic for five of the neglected Tropical Diseases ,they are Onchocerciasis Lymphatic Filariasis,Schistomiasis,Trachoma,Human and Animal Trypanosomiasis (HAT),Dengue Fever,Buruli Ulcer,Yaws,Leishmaniasis,Soil Transmitted Helminthes with the thirteen Local Governments affected by the scourge”.
The commissioner, Pharmacy Yahaya buttressed that the state Government is yet to carry out mapping, he said the Government of Nasarawa state and Carter centre are leaving no stone unturned in the fight against these deadly ailment.
He said the Ministry would provide man-power for the programme while Carter Centre supports the state in capacity building at State, Local Government and Community levels, adding that it will also assist in medicine procurement for distribution to the affected population in the state.
The commissioner confided that Nasarawa and Plateau state are the only two states that have set up a wonderful pace in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases by interrupting three of the diseases Onchoceciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis and Trachoma.
He revealed that campaign has been shifted to school age children in public and private primary and Junior Secondary School, he said momentous achievements were made in 2019.
The commissioner maintained 45 Local Integrated Health Team members were trained.
225 Health Facility Staff
611 Community Directed Distributors
2,153 Teachers
42 School supervisors
7 Social Mobilization Officers.
In addition, he confirmed that 502,700 tablets of mebendazole and 194,984 tablets of praziquantel from the Federal Ministry of health for treatment of school age children enrolled and non-enrolled in public and private primary and Junior Secondary Schools in the state treated 502,343 school age children between 5-14 years.
Pharmacy Yahaya said this years plan, the state programme intends to mobilize and train 45 Local Integrated Health Team members,225 Health Facility staff,611 Community Directed Distributors,42 School Supervisors,33 Social Mobilization officers,2,824 School Teachers.
He stated that the state intends to treat 720,000 school age children for Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthes, however, he buttressed that the state is mindful of its neighbors who are still struggling with these diseases and the risk of re-infecting the state through border Local Governments such as Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna,and the Federal Capital Territory .
