Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BASPHCDA) has confirmed the death of one person from snakebite out of the 194 victims in 2023.
The disclosure was made by the Executive Chairman of BASPHCDA, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed while addressing a press conference to mark 2024 World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day on Friday held at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Bauchi.
Rilwanu Mohammed added that there were 92 males and 102 females treated for snakebites during the period, while 13 of them were found to be free from snake venoms, just as 196 others are using Echitab Plus Antisanake Venoms (ASV) tablets.
The BASPHCDA EC assured that medical personnel manning the State Snakebite Hospital in Duguri have been well trained from different centres across the country and have been motivated by the government to perform.
According to him, “The State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, has spent millions of Naira to ensure that the hospital became well equipped and functional.”
He added that “victims of snakebites have now stopped going to Kaltungo in Gombe State for medical care. In fact, victims from Plateau State now come there for treatment.”
Rilwanu Mohammed added that the consumables and other things required for the treatment of snakebites are readily available at the hospital, while the drugs have been made to become revolving in order to ensure availability and affordability.
He said, “Today, we gathered to commemorate World NTDs Day for the year 2024, as declared by the World Health Assembly. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Unite, Act, Eliminate NTDs.The aim is to raise awareness, assess progress, and outline future steps for elimination.”
According to him, “Bauchi State has been thoroughly mapped for all five Preventive Chemotherapy (PC) Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), including Onchocerciasis (river blindness), Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis (blood in urine), Trachoma, and Soil-Transmitted Helminths.”
Rilwanu Mohammed, however, said, “Unfortunately, the results indicate that we are endemic for all except soil-transmitted helminths, with the following distribution across the state.”
He stated that onchocerciasis (river blindness) is found in 12 LGAs, lymphatic filariasis (swelling of limbs) in 11 LGAs, schistosomiasis (blood in urine) in 19 LGAs, and trachoma (eyelashes rubbing on the eyeball) in 2 LGAs.
He stressed that these diseases have severe economic and well-being repercussions for federal, state, and supporting partners (MITOSATH/ENDFUND, UNICEF, and HANDS have jointly made substantial efforts to eliminate the diseases).
The BASPHCDA EC added that in the review year (2023), the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) elimination unit conducted the following activities: We treated 3,697,578 individuals for onchocerciasis with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND.”
The unit also treated 874,974 individuals for Lymphatic Filariasis with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND and 1,212,623 individuals for Schistosomiasis with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND.
Furthermore, it operated on 750 people for hydrocele in Ganjuwa, Bogoro, Warji, and Tafawa-Balewa LGAs with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND and trained 15 patients and 9 health workers on lymphoedema management with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND.
The unit also conducted pre-TAS in 2 LGAS (Darazo and Ganjuwa) with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND and carried out TAS 1 in 7 LGAS (Tafawa Balewa, Bogoro Misau, Giade, Itas/Gadau, Warji, and Toro) with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND.
He added that the unit also conducted epidemiological evaluation in 16 LGAs with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND, operated on people with tuberculosis in LGAs, and executed community mobilisation on WASH-NTD collaborations and hygiene promotion activities with support from UNICEF.
In the future plans of the agency for handling NTDs, he said that it will perform more hydrocele surgery and lymphoedema management in LGAs and conduct LF assessments (pre-TAS) in Alkaleri and Ningi LGAs.
The agency will also carry out TAS1 in Darazo, Ganjuwa, Alkaleri, and Ningi LGAs, while for Schisto, it will conduct MAM in 12 LGAs for Oncho/LF and 19 LGAs for others.
Rilwanu Mohammed said that all these future activities will be carried out with support from MITOSATH/ENDFUND, saying, “We appeal for increased support from the Bauchi State Government to facilitate the elimination of NTDs in the state.”
