The Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (OSPHCDA) embarked on health education and awareness-raising initiatives throughout the state in support of 2024 Neglected Tropical Diseases Day.
The goal was to inform every Ondo State resident about these diseases, what they are, how common they are, how to prevent them, how to deal with their burden, and how they are transmitted.
The World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day is celebrated on 30th January, every year. The day is set aside to create awareness about the burden of NTDs and the suffering they cause the over 1 billion people in the world’s most vulnerable communities who have been put into a vicious cycle of disease and poverty.
This year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling on everybody, including leaders and communities, to unite and act to address the inequalities that drive neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and to make bold, sustainable investments to ensure their elimination.
The Director of Medical Services, Dr. Paulinus K. Omede said the state was, “Training health workers on NTDs and current elimination strategies; training Community Directed Distributors (Community Implementers); Training School Teachers on Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthes in School aged Children; Mass Administration of Medicines in all endemic communities annually.
“Treatmented of over 300 people people with hydrocele through free surgery between the last quarter of 2022 and June, 2023; Hygiene promotion and Community Led Total Sanitation trainings and interventions and the establishment of the integrated NTD clinic for case management”
According to Dr. Paulinus all these were achieved in partnership with Mission To Save The Helpless (MITOSATH).
