Carter centre commits N1.5bn to fight malaria, others

The Carter Centre in Nigeria has committed the sum of N1.5 billion as part of its 2016 intervention in the ongoing fight against malaria and other neglected tropical diseases in nine states of the country. Country Representative for the Carter Centre, Dr. Emmanuel Miri made this known yesterday during the Centre’s annual programme review in […]

The Carter Centre in Nigeria has committed the sum of N1.5 billion as part of its 2016 intervention in the ongoing fight against malaria and other neglected tropical diseases in nine states of the country.
Country Representative for the Carter Centre, Dr. Emmanuel Miri made this known yesterday during the Centre’s annual programme review in Jos. He said the nine states include Anambra, Abia, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Plateau and Nasarawa states.
Miri said the intervention will be used to fight neglected tropical diseases such as river blindness (Onchocerciasis) and elephantiasis (Lymphatic filariasis) in the South east while in Plateau and Nasarawa states, the focus will be on malaria, Schistomiasis (Bilharzia) and stomach worms.
He explained that river blindness has been interrupted in Plateau’s five local government areas of Bassa, Jos East, Bokkos, Pankshin and Kanke and seven LGA’s in Nasarawa state adding that “because it goes into series after the interruption of the disease, you have to invite WHO for a number of years then they will come and certify and give you certificate of elimination but when we do the survey right now, you will find out that the disease is no more in Plateau and Nasarawa states.”
The country representative said, “We have also eradicated elephantiasis in Plateau and Nasarawa states, for three years now we don’t have the disease in the states. We have controlled Trachoma (diseases of the eye) and it is no longer of any public health importance which means that our younger children will not have that disease anymore,” he said
Miri however said schistosomiasis and hookworms were yet to be controlled.
The Director of Integrated Programmes in Plateau and Nasarawa states, Dr. Abel Eigege said though river blindness has been interrupted in the two states, Nigeria is rated as the third most endemic country in the world with about 38 million Nigerians in need of treatment for the disease.