Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has accused the global community of abandoning Nigeria and some other developing countries that still battle neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
The government said that NTDs have been down played with little or no attention being paid to the diseases, which have impacted negatively on safety and healthy well-being of Nigerians.
It also alleged that, because the diseases are no longer available in developed countries, the international donor agencies don’t care to provide needed support and assistance to African countries and developing countries of the world that still have the cases.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who addressed a press conference in Abuja, to herald activities to commemorate the 2020 NTDs day, disclosed that NTDs are estimated to affect over one billion people globally, with majority of them living in developing countries.
He explained that NTDs are communicable diseases associated with poverty. They are prevalent in areas that have poor sanitation, unsafe water supply and substandard housing conditions.
He listed some of the NTDs to include guinea worm disease, leprosy, rabies, river blindness, snake bite, sleeping sickness, and many others. “In Nigeria, it is estimated that over 100 million people are at risk of the infections for some NTDs.”
He however appreciated the success made so far in responding to the cases of NTDs, attributing it to the successful implementation of Federal Government plan of action for NTDs (2013 to 2020) and the support received from the federal, state, local governments, as well as relevant stakeholders.