Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC Lagos Central) disclosed in Abuja, Monday, that Elephantiasis, one of the 14 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), prevalent in Nigeria, killed mother of a one day governor in Lagos state years back .
This is as Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC Kwara Central), his counterparts on Water Resources, Senator Bello Mandiya (APC Katsina South) and other stakeholders cried out to government at all levels in Nigeria for eradication of the diseases killing vulnerable Nigerians on daily basis at the rural level.
The diseases, according to them are Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis), Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH), Onchocerciasis (River blindness), Trachoma (Granular Conjunctivitis) and Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia).
Others are Rabbies, Leprosy, Yaws, Snakebites, Leishmaniasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), Mycetoma and Fascioliasis.
Lamenting over the neglected killer diseases at a high level round table meeting organised for their elimination by the Nigeria National Task Team (NNTT) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Senator Tinubu, said concerted efforts by both public and private organisations were needed to get the diseases eliminated from Nigeria.
“Though many of these diseases are not prevalent in Lagos State as they are, in other parts of the country but a mother of one of the one day Governors in the state, died of Elephantiasis.
“Thereafter after coming to the Senate and through the Committees on Health and Women Affairs, the prevalence of the diseases with attendant casualties on women mostly, dawned on me and the need to get rid of them.
“Awareness is key for this campaign because most of the NTDs are preventable,” she said
On his part, the convener of the round table dialogue, Senator Oloriegbe, said it was no longer news that NTDs are prevalent in Nigeria requiring urgent attentions from all stakeholders.
“It is my hope that my colleagues at the National Assembly will be convinced to include the Elimination of NTDs to the list of their constituency projects . This will go a long way to alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians afflicted by the diseases in one way or the other,” he said.
For the Chairman, Senate Committee on Water Resources, Bello Mandiya, water and sanitation are very critical in preventing and eliminating the diseases as 72 out of 774 local government councils in Nigeria are free from open defecation, a practice that is most prevalent in Nigeria across the globe.
The Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora, in his submissions, said Nigeria ranks either first or second globally in the prevalence of the diseases aside Malaria which is a massive killer in the country.
Government alone he explained, cannot do it all as corporate organisations need to join in the campaign of eliminating the diseases largely domiciled in rural areas.
“Rural dwellers too need to help government in getting rid of the killer diseases by being hygienic as regards water they drink and how they empty their bowels as far as defecation is concerned,” he said.
