Feyisayo Ogunbiyi
The Ogun State Government, through its Ministry of Health, has announced plans to test over 2,000 schoolchildren for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), specifically schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH), across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
The initiative, which aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) roadmap for the global elimination of NTDs by 2030, is also aimed at assessing the impact of previously administered medications to schoolchildren under the state’s NTD control programme.
During a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abeokuta on Wednesday, the NTDs team revealed that urine and stool samples will be collected from students selected through a random sampling process in 40 public and private schools — two schools from each local government area — with 50 to 60 pupils selected per school.
Speaking at the meeting, the Programme Manager and representative of the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Imabong Okere, urged stakeholders to help sensitize parents about the exercise, emphasizing that the sample collection is purely for medical testing purposes.
“I want the parents to be oriented about the programme; they shouldn’t assume we are using the urine for rituals,” she said. “We want the bodies represented here to be our microphone. We are doing a random selection of schools.”
Addressing concerns raised by some stakeholders about the possibility of the tests being used for harmful purposes, a consultant to the NTDs team, Prof. Sam Wobo, dispelled such fears. He assured that the testing process will be transparent and open to stakeholder observation.
“We will disclose the laboratories where the tests will be carried out, and stakeholders are welcome to observe the process. Please help us educate the parents that this is a public health initiative, not a depopulation agenda,” Wobo said.
The team further explained that all field and laboratory officers involved in the testing will undergo proper training to ensure accuracy and confidentiality, adding that no mix-ups would occur in the process.
Stakeholders present at the meeting included representatives of the Ministry of Education, the League of Imams and Alfas, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), among others. All pledged their support for the success of the programme.
In her remarks, the Deputy Coordinator of the NTD programme, who represented the Director of Public Health, Dr. Festus Kayode, emphasized the importance of the initiative, noting that Ogun State harbours three of the most endemic LGAs for NTDs.
“We have distributed the drugs, and now we need to assess their effectiveness. This exercise is critical for public health planning and monitoring,” she said.
The testing is expected to commence shortly after the final training and sensitization activities are concluded.
'
'
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
