Nasarawa State government said it has treated no fewer than 398,768 school-age children of schistosomiasis across the 13 local government areas of the state last year.
The commissioner for health, Dr. Shekwonugaza Gwamna, disclosed this during a press conference to mark 2024 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day yesterday in Lafia.
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Dr. Gwamna said 46, 017 adults were also treated for the disease in the year under review.
The commissioner equally revealed that 233,960 school-age children were treated for soil-transmitted helminths, while 9,991 internally displaced persons were treated for onchocerciasis through the administration of mectizan tablets and albendazole within the period.
According to him, Nasarawa is among the two states in the country that have been able to eliminate onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and trachoma, adding that the state was able to tackle the diseases in collaboration with the Carter Centre.
“The fight is now tailored towards the management of the disabling sequelae amongst survivors of these debilitating diseases,” he stated.
To be able to achieve its goal of ridding the state of the diseases, the administration, he explained, established 11 health centres code-named “Hope Group Clinics” across the 13 local government areas to effectively manage them.
He said the ministry also trained and deployed enough manpower to ensure that the diseases were contained. This, he said, includes 61 Local Integrated Team Members (LIHTs), 266 Health Facility Staff (HFS), 888 Community Drugs Distributors and 1,866 teachers.
“There was also continuous supervision of NTD implementation all year round,” he added.
He said the ministry has mapped out plans to leverage its achievements this year.