Identify poverty, poor environment as causes of NTDs
By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare have urged the media to continue to create awareness on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), saying that lack of basic knowledge of environmental hygiene, particularly among rural populations in the country is the major cause of diseases and illnesses particularly, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
The assertion was made the Chief of Field Office (CFO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office (BFO), Dr Nuzhat Rafique, and the North-East Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Hauwa Abubakar, during the opening of a One-day Media Dialogue on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Elimination in Bauchi State, held on Thursday in Bauchi.
She also identified poverty as the culprit for all diseases, stressing that when people are poor and they are not clean, environment is not clean, they are more likely to have diseases.
“Knowledge and information about these neglected tropical diseases are very important, but I am very happy with the questions as well. I am very happy with the awareness that you people have already received and the questions you have asked.”
“So, I saw three very main things. One is the community awareness. The second is how to treat these diseases. And when somebody said that create an emergency, state of emergency and you responded very well. Now this is not a state of emergency. But the most important thing was the poverty.”
“Poverty is the culprit for all diseases actually. So if you can just sit down and we can talk to the people who are here in the hall. I can’t see anything. So this is very very important that poverty is a vicious cycle of ill health and poverty. They are not able to work. They fall into the vicious cycle of poverty. So poverty, non-cleanliness, the poor environment, poor sanitation, it leads to further poverty. If we have to come out of this vicious cycle, we have to improve our environment.”
“We have to concentrate on the interventions. We have to strengthen our health system. I agree with all the comments that are made media. And media is basically our eyes and ears and tools to create awareness among community’.
“You are the backbone of every society. You people can make or break up society. Behavior change is not easy. But media has a very strong role to play in it. As a resource person, I have already said that, create a clean environment, clean water, stop open defecation, and have a good sanitation at home for children and adults, and not bringing water from the rivers which are polluted.”
“But this state needs to be maintained and further improved through good sanitation, WASH interventions, and continued identification of any case and treatment of the case on time. I am expecting all the media people here, very able and always cooperating with our agenda, to please spread this information and make communities aware as much as possible. Today’s meeting is very informative.” She said.
In her remarks, the North-East Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Hauwa Abubakar, stated that Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are with poverty because they are mainly found among rural dwellers who are assumed to be poor.
According to her, NTDs are public health issues that required focused attention for prevention before they become a threat even though they are curable.
Hauwa Abubakar stressed that the Media has a very important role to play in mobilizing households to know what to do in order to avoid the NTDs within the community.
Participants were drawn from the various media organisations in Bauchi State comprising Radio, Television and print.