2024-02-13 22:17:30
New York, USA, January 31, 2024 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/-In South Sudan, 19 of the 20 neglected tropical diseases are endemic and pose a significant threat to health. More than 12 million people are at risk of being infected by these diseases which can cause serious pain, disability and deformity, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on the occasion of the World Day dedicated to these diseases.
The country, with support from WHO and partners, has worked in recent years to combat the threat of neglected tropical diseases by providing medicines and strengthening prevention measures to accelerate progress. towards the eradication of these diseases.
“We are working hand in hand with our partners to reach communities across the country and ensure that at-risk populations receive treatment and protection against these diseases,” said Ader Macar Aciek, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health. health. “The road to eliminating neglected tropical diseases is long and we are determined to finish the job by protecting all those at risk so they can live healthier lives.”
17 million people treated since 2021
As of 2021, nearly 17 million people in South Sudan have received treatment for river blindness, elephantiasis, bilharzia, trachoma and soil-borne worms.
During a treatment campaign in June 2023, health workers conducted a mass administration of schistosomiasis drugs, ensuring that eligible children received treatment whether infected or not.
Neglected tropical diseases are a collection of 20 diseases or groups of diseases that occur primarily in tropical and subtropical areas.
They include lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, onchocerciasis or river blindness, schistosomiasis or bilharzia, as well as human African trypanosomiasis, often called sleeping sickness, chronic ulcers and other infections. skin.
Eliminate targeted diseases by 2030
WHO supported the Ministry of Health to develop and implement a master plan for neglected tropical diseases (2023-2027). WHO also supported the ministry in training health workers across the country in various aspects of neglected tropical disease management, including treatment, diagnosis, mapping, mass drug administration, active search for cases and contact tracing.
The country’s master plan aligns with the global roadmap for the elimination of neglected tropical diseases by 2030. This roadmap aims, among others, to eliminate targeted diseases such as bilharzia, blindness of rivers, elephantiasis, intestinal worms and trachoma by 2030.
Community campaigns
South Sudan’s master plan focuses on three fundamental changes in the approach to tackling neglected tropical diseases, including increasing accountability for impact through the use of impact indicators, moving away from single, disease-specific programs and changing operational models and culture to facilitate greater country ownership.
“The medicine helped us a lot. I don’t get sick often anymore,” said Ernesto Tombe Swaka, a resident of Gondokoro, Juba County, who benefited from a recent mass drug administration campaign in his community. “The health workers explained to us the importance of taking the medicines, and so I did not hesitate to take them on the first day of the campaign.”
Several counties in South Sudan have more than one endemic neglected tropical disease.
Elephantiasis and river blindness are endemic in 34 counties, while bilharzia and intestinal worms are endemic in 46 counties. Thirty-five counties are endemic for elephantiasis and intestinal worms, and 36 counties are endemic for Loa Loa filariasis. Recent mapping of leprosy endemic status indicates that all regions of the country are endemic for leprosy.
“We are committed to supporting the Ministry of Health in its efforts to combat the threat of neglected tropical diseases in the country,” stressed Dr Fabian Ndenzako, Acting WHO Representative in South Sudan. “Together we are ensuring that the national plan is fully implemented to help end the threat of these diseases and the suffering they cause.”
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) for UN Info.