From Joe Effiong, Uyo
Eleven local government areas in Akwa Ibom State are said to be the hosts of many diseases termed as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD).
The state Coordinator of Neglected Tropical Diseases in the State Ministry of Health and Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Aniekeme Uwah, said many people have been infected Neglected Tropical Diseases in the state.
Uwah said Neglected Tropical Diseases were about 20 ailments associated with poor houses, poverty prevalent in many communities in the tropical regions and usually contracted by the poorest of the poor.
‘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 probably 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 worlds 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 but they make our people not live optimally and fulfil their destinies. And very importantly is the fact that this set of diseases is 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 lead to people having rashes on their skin. 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 blackflies. So these disease conditions are there in our state.
‘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 the child is not getting enough nourishment as he grows up.’
Uwah said four council areas in Akwa in the state are endemic to Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) with Blackfly as the vector, Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasisis (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 has mosquitoes as the vector.
‘We also have some which lead to people having rashes on their skin. 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.’
He listed the most affected council areas in the state to include Ibeno, Ibiono Ibom, Ika Local Government Areas.
He regretted that patients of these sicknesses could not receive necessary attention because of their conditions hence the intervention of the World Agency to ameliorate their health challenges.
He solicited partnership with the media, private sector, entrepreneurs to bail out the vulnerable from their conditions.
‘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 others in other parts of the country that cause other diseases like glaucoma in the northern part of the country, which is caused by housefly.’