Sightsavers International and the Kaduna State Government, through the Ministry of Health, have finalized arrangements to administer medicine to over 2.7 million people across six LGAs in the state.
Tabitha Kane, Senior Programme Officer at Sightsavers Nigeria, said this during the flag-off ceremony for the administration of medicine to prevent river blindness in Makarfi LGA.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Health with support from Sightsavers. The identified LGAs include Makarfi, Lere, Kaduna South, Kubau, Kagarko, and Kachia.
She explained that Makarfi LGA was chosen because it had previously not been part of the areas with active transmission cases of the disease.
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However, it is now among the six identified regions experiencing active transmission, and it is crucial for the community to be aware of river blindness and accept the medicine to eradicate the disease in the area.
She commended the state government and urged traditional leaders in Makarfi to assist in sensitizing the locals to support the fight against river blindness in the state.
In his remarks, Joseph O. Ike, Director General of the Kaduna State Bureau for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (KADBUSA), who represented Commissioner of Health Umma K. Ahmed, stated that the medicine to be administered is 99.9 percent safe for every individual aged five years and above, regardless of gender.
He mentioned that staff at primary health centers and clinics, along with community members, would go door-to-door to distribute the medicine throughout the LGA.
“This medicine is 99.9 percent safe for every individual aged five years and above, except for individuals under five years of age, pregnant women, seriously ill persons, breastfeeding mothers less than seven days postpartum, children with stunted growth, and those who are absent during the mass distribution. Aside from these exceptions, everyone else is entitled to receive this medicine,” he said.
According to him, the historical battle against river blindness in Kaduna State began 28 years ago with a strategy called Community Directed Treatments with Ivermectin (CDTI), supported by the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) and Sightsavers in 16 LGAs within the state.
The District Head of Gubuchi, Bello Lawal, urged the locals to accept the medicine to protect themselves from blindness and commended the organizers for selecting Makarfi for the flag-off of the medicine administration.
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