15/10/2022
KWARA GOVERNMENT TAKES STEP TO ERADICATE SCHISTOSOMIASIS.
Over Two hundred and Thirty thousand children between the ages of five and fourteen in Kwara State, are to be dewormed against Schistosomiasis, an infection which results in high infestation of worms in the body.
The exercise which will commence later in October will also capture over forty-six thousand adults in sixty-three wards across eleven local government areas of the State.
This was the outcome after a two day capacity building and planning meeting for stakeholders drawn from relevant government agencies, civil society groups and the media.
Schistosomiasis, Schisto, Schisto for short, is a worm like infection known as Atosi aja in Yoruba, Pisari Jini in Hausa and Oya inyu mamiri obara in Igbo.
The infection is said to be prevalent in environment where people practice poor sanitary habit, have no access to clean and safe water and engage in poor hygienic practices.
According to the resource person, programme officer for Schistosomiasis, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Hajia Halima Toro, a survey conducted in. . revealed that Sixty-three thousand, six hundred and three wards across the country are endemic for the infection while Two hundred and fifty-Two wards have very high number of infected persons.
Hajia Toro who emphasized that the deworming exercise is free and safe, advised people to engage in hygiene practices such as washing of vegetables before eating, regular handwashing, avoid walking barefooted, avoid open defecation and drinking unsafe water.
The Kwara State Coordinator of NTDs, Mrs Christianah Bamigboye who stated that Patigi One and four Wards in Kwara State have high incidence of Schisto, advised parents in the affected areas to present their children and wards for the exercise to protect them from the infection.
Mrs Bamigboye who explained that the drug must be taken with solid foods such as Amala, eba, or fufu to check adverse effect, explained that the programme would be done in conjunction with the office of the State Homegrown School Feeding Programme for easy implementation.
Earlier, the Programme Officer, Homegrown School Feeding Programme, Kwara State, Mrs Bashirat Abdulrazaq gave an assurance that government would meet with the working team to identify areas of collaboration.
The NTDs Programme Officer, Sight Saver International, Mr Olalekan Ajayi called on government to increase budget more for the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs.
Participants commended the initiative and pledged to play their role in ensuring sensitation of stakeholders in the eleven local government areas for compliance and full implementation.
Symptoms of Schisto disease do not appear immediately but later symptoms include painful and bloody urine, protruding stomach, bloody and worm filled excreta, and worms coming out from the nose and mouth of infected infected person.
People who have such symptoms are advised to visit the nearest health facility for quick intervention.
The Eleven Local Government Areas where the Schisto deworming exercise will take place are, Patigi, Baruten, Ekiti, Moro, Oyun, Asa, Irepodun, Isin, Ilorin West, Edu, and Kaiama.
