The Christoffel Blinding Mission CBM and its partners have celebrated the treatment of 600 million Neglected Tropical Diseases NTDs across 42 countries .
The CBM’s Director of the Inclusive Eye Health and NTDs Initiative, Dr Babar Qureshi disclosed this to newsmen in Madobi village of Dutse local government area of Jigawa state.
Radio Nigeria reports that the celebration was conducted by the CBM and its implementing partner, Health and Development Support HANDS).
The CBM’s Director of the Inclusive Eye Health and NTDs Initiative, Dr Babar Qureshi said that out of the 600 million treated cases, 200 million have been in Nigeria.
“And for us it is a great landmark that is celebrated in Nigeria and more sore it is celebrated in Jigawa state where we have quite long lasting and progressive history of the elimination of NTDs.”
He said, they have a very long standing commitment with the government of Jigawa state with whom they have worked for many years in NTDs.
Dr Babar Qureshi added that the CBM started the treatment of Trachoma disease in twenty three local government areas of the state in 1996.
He pointed out that out of the 23 LGAs, 21 are already reaching near elimination.
“The landmark here is that a disease called Trachoma which causes blindness in Jigawa state, when we started, 23 LGAs were actually endemic with the disease”.
“And today there are only two two left, 21 have stopped treatment, which means they’re already reaching near elimination,” he said.
Qureshi reiterated the commitment of the CBM in eliminating NTDs across the globe, and commended the Jigawa state government for its effort toward treatment the of the diseases in the state.
Also speaking, the state NTDs and Eye Care Manager, Dr Abdulrahman Umar, thanked the CBM for choosing to celebrate the landmark achievement in Jigawa.
He said, it is a milestone celebration in Nigeria and Jigawa by CMB and HANDS as an implementing partner.
According to him, CBM and HANDS have been in Jigawa for the past 26 years.
“They’ve been supporting Jigawa since 1996 and we’ve collaborating with them and up to today they’re still supporting government of Jigawa, Kano, Yobe and FCT” Dr Umar
Usman Mohammed Zaria