…Says Over 700 At Risk With Over 90% In Sub-Saharan Africa
The Deputy Director of Program Management for the National Helminthiasis and Soil Transmitted Programme, Dr. Obiageli Nebe has hinted that over 200 million people have been afflicted with infection, globally.
According to the UN, over 700 million people are at danger of sickness, with over 90% of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa.
She gave this hint at a presentation on Schistosomiasis at a “Two-Day Media Dialogue on Neglected Tropical Disease Control in Nigeria,” held by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information’s Child Rights Information Bureau.
Nebe said that, it is a low socioeconomic status illness that mostly affects the poorest members of society and the most vulnerable individuals.
“Children are particularly vulnerable to disease as the worm infestation spreads through contaminated food, drink, or dirt, due to their poorly developed immune systems,” she added.
Meanwhile, UNICEF WASH Specialist Bioye Ogunjobi expressed support for UNICEF’s efforts to eradicate NTDs in Nigeria, stating that a lack of political will and understanding remained a barrier to the disease’s eradication.
Ogunjobi notes that Nigeria’s NTDs initiatives are primarily funded by partners, and he asks the government to get more involved in the fight against these diseases.
