Northern Pulse: Kaduna reviews NTD programme, records progress amid challenges

By Aisha Gambo

Stakeholders in Kaduna State convened on Monday to review the implementation of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) programmes, with a focus on onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis interventions carried out in 2025.

The meeting brought together staff from the Ministry of Health, academia, social welfare, Sightsavers, among others.

Mrs Tabitha Kane, Programme Officer with Sightsavers, said the meeting was aimed at assessing planned activities, achievements recorded, challenges encountered, and developing actionable strategies to strengthen future implementation.

She explained that the 2025 programme, supported by the Reaching the Last Mile Fund and managed by Sightsavers, targeted treatment for onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, in six Local Government Areas.

The programme officer listed the local government areas to include Kachia, Kagarko, Kauru, Kaduna South, Lere and Makarfi.

The LGAs were selected following a failed post-treatment survey in 2019, which indicated ongoing transmission of the disease.

“We returned to these LGAs to ensure there is no active transmission and to prevent avoidable blindness among residents,” she said.

Kane added that the programme also planned treatment for lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna North and Kaduna South, alongside capacity-building for health workers, focal persons and Community-Directed Distributors (CDDs).

She noted that the programme successfully conducted two rounds of treatment for onchocerciasis and trained targeted personnel.

However, treatment for lymphatic filariasis was not carried out as planned due to the unavailability of medicines and the eligibility of the affected LGAs for transmission assessment surveys after completing five effective treatment cycles.

Kane further revealed that assessments on possible resurgence of onchocerciasis had commenced in selected communities, with field teams currently collecting vector samples for analysis.

Highlighting challenges, the programme officer identified delays in the delivery of donated medicines as a major setback, which disrupted implementation timelines.

“Treatments scheduled for the second and third quarters were delayed, with some activities spilling into the first quarter of 2026 due to late arrival of medicines,” she said.

She also cited inadequate drug supply caused by underestimation of population figures in some communities, which affected therapeutic coverage.

Kane added that the timing of programme activities during Ramadan and the Lenten season posed initial difficulties but noted that community and religious leaders played a crucial role in mobilising residents.

She called on the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to sustain the gains by providing funding for programme implementation and critical assessments.

Similarly, the State NTD Coordinator, Zainab Haruna, said the state, in collaboration with development partners, Sightsavers, had reduced the number of endemic local government areas from 18 to eight.

“Over the past four years, Kaduna State Ministry of Health has made significant progress concerning neglected tropical diseases.

“These diseases were neglected, yet they affect mostly people in tropical areas, especially the poor.

“Addressing them remains a major focus of our health interventions,” she said.

According to her, out of the remaining endemic LGAs, three are affected by lymphatic filariasis, while six have cases of onchocerciasis, with one LGA co-endemic for both diseases.

She attributed the progress to sustained collaboration with Sightsavers, which she said, had supported NTD interventions in Kaduna for over 20 years.

She emphasised the importance of personal hygiene in preventing infection and reducing disease severity, adding that the state would continue to sensitise residents on personal hygiene, which plays a key role in preventing and managing the diseases.