Poverty, poor environmental hygiene, causes of diseases in communities – UNICEF, federal ministry of health

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By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi

Poverty and lack of basic knowledge of environmental hygiene, especially among rural populations in Nigeria, have been identified as the major causes of diseases and illnesses particularly, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

The assertion was made by the Chief of Field Office (CFO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office (BFO), Dr Nuzhat Rafique, during the opening of a One-day Media Dialogue on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Elimination in Bauchi State, held on Thursday in Bauchi.

Rafique stated that, “Knowledge and information about these neglected tropical diseases are very important, but I am very happy with the questions as well. I am very happy with the awareness that you people have already received and the questions you have asked.”

According to her, “So, I saw three very main things. One is the community awareness. The second is how to treat these diseases. And when somebody said that create an emergency, state of emergency and you responded very well. Now this is not a state of emergency. But the most important thing was the poverty.”

The UNICEF CFO stressed that, “Poverty is the culprit for all diseases actually. So if you can just sit down and we can talk to the people who are here in the hall. I can’t see anything. So this is very very important that poverty is a vicious cycle of ill health and poverty. When people are poor and they are not clean, environment is not clean, they are more likely to have diseases.”

She stated that,”They are not able to work. They fall into the vicious cycle of poverty. So poverty, non-cleanliness, the poor environment, poor sanitation, it leads to further poverty. If we have to come out of this vicious cycle, we have to improve our environment.”

“We have to concentrate on the interventions. We have to strengthen our health system. I agree with all the comments that are made by media. And media is basically our eyes and ears and tools to create awareness among community,” She added.

Speaking further, Nuzhat Rafique stressed that, “You are the backbone of every society. You people can make or break up society. Behavior change is not easy. But media has a very strong role to play in it. As a resource person, I have already said that, create a clean environment, clean water, stop open defecation, and have a good sanitation at home for children and adults, and not bringing water from the rivers which are polluted.”

According to her, “Rather than that, have your water at home or at near source, and government also need to contribute towards clean water supply. We need to have safe water for communities, so they don’t have to go to rivers and get this river blindness.”

She said that, “Although Gombe and Bauchi, they have come up to a very good point, great point, that is called great point, that it is very easy now to prevent it with our WASH and health interventions without any repeated mass administration of drugs.”

Rafique however said that, “But this state needs to be maintained and further improved through good sanitation, WASH interventions, and continued identification of any case and treatment of the case on time. I am expecting all the media people here, very able and always cooperating with our agenda, to please spread this information and make communities aware as much as possible. Today’s meeting is very informative.”

The CFO then appealed,”Please, attend and listen and note what our resource persons are trying to tell you, so you can spread this to the communities for saving their lives. You saw the pictures. They are so, so difficult situations for people to survive even. So, rather than having these people, we can have safe environment to prevent flies and to prevent mosquitoes.”

She stressed that, “And when we prevent these flies and mosquitoes, we can also prevent so many other diseases, like malaria, diarrhea, all other diseases which are born due to bad sanitation and environment and water, they can be prevented. So, sanitation, good environment, clean water, and timely health-seeking behavior is very, very important to prevent all these diseases.”

She concluded,”And that is my humble request from each and every one of you, to please spread this message and make your communities aware to save these communities.”

In her remarks, the North-East Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Hauwa Abubakar, stated that Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are with poverty because they are mainly found among rural dwellers who are assumed to be poor.

According to her, NTDs are public health issues that required focused attention for prevention before they become a threat even though they are curable.

Hauwa Abubakar stressed that the Media has a very important role to play in mobilizing households to know what to do in order to avoid the NTDs within the community.

Participants were drawn from the various media organisations in Bauchi State comprising radio, television and print.