Strategies to stamp out tropical diseases from North West underway

Stakeholders in the health sector in the Northwest region have declared their commitment to mobilize their communities as well as all the community stakeholders to kick out neglected tropical diseases from their villages.

This was during a one day advocacy and sensitization meeting that took place in Bamenda on Tuesday June 17, 2014.

Speaking at the event the coordinator of the of neglected tropical diseases programme and representative of Sight Savers International, Dr Che Soh Kingsley said with the huge successes recorded last year, the partnership with the north west regional delegation of public health would be strengthened.

He said this year Sight Savers has put in 114 million frs as funding to train health staff and monitor and evaluate the programme.

The Northwest coordinator of the neglected tropical disease programme, Akiumbene Montesquieu Atambo said 13 more advocacy meetings have been announced for the region He said it is through this sensitization exercise that the public would get to know the importance of taking mectizan and albendazole.

The representative of the governor at the event Makoge Ivo Charles who is the Inspector General of Services in the governor’s office for his part enjoined the main actors such as Fons, ardos, mayors and district medical officers to ensure the eradication of neglected tropical diseases such as onchorcesiasis, lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis.

This, he explained could be done by educating the population to take mectizan and abendazole against intestinal worms and elephantiasis. He said these diseases are dangerous to the population and as such sensitization must be carried out at the grassroots.

The representative of the north west regional delegate of public health, Dr Tayong Gladys said neglected tropical diseases have hit the region and as such all must put hands on deck to fight it.

The advocacy meeting, she added was therefore aimed at raising awareness, planning for the activities that will be implemented in the course of the year and concluded that more meetings would be organized at community levels.

The meeting ended with fons, ardos, district medical officers and mayors taking fresh commitments to get their communities to take the prescribed drugs to fight the diseases.