The Federal Ministry of Health on Friday in Abuja advised on the need for regular hand washing in order to eliminate some of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, Director, Public Health Department of the ministry, gave this advice at a meeting with health stakeholders from the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was a feedback/ debriefing meeting on Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) impact assessment survey in the area council.
The debriefing meeting was to ascertain the impact assessment of the 2014 baseline survey conducted across the six Area Councils of the FCT, where some NTDs were discovered to be endemic in FCT area council.
Anyalke, represented by Dr Adebayo Peters, Director, NTDs, Department of Public Health of the Ministry, said most of these NTDs would be a thing of history if the residents of the area councils imbibed the spirit of regular hand washing
He also encouraged all the health stakeholders from the area councils to work with community leaders in order to make the awareness of hand washing smooth free activities.
Anyalke also added that the debriefing was necessary to ascertain whether the public health department of the FCT was making progress or not.
He noted that this would determine whether to continue the treatment or not.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended that after five rounds of treatment, which we have done in all these area councils, we must assess whether the treatment is effective or not.
“We thank the donors for always standing by us, supporting us in the FCT for trying to eliminate Schistosomiasis in line with WHO recommendation by 2030, The essence of this assessment is as well, to find out whether we are progressing or not,” he said.
Dr Doris John, Director, FCT Public Health Department, thanked representatives of the Area Councils in the FCT for their efforts in trying to eliminate NTDs in the city.
She also commended the Federal Ministry of Health for its constant support to FCT Public Health Department, as well as the Rural and Water Sanitation Agency (RUWASA).
John also urged all the stakeholders to join hands together in order to achieve the elimination of NTDs in the FCT and country.
