The Kaduna government has announced a new push to eliminate onchocerciasis, popularly known as river blindness. It will do so by strengthening community ownership and integrating Neglected Tropical Diseases services into the state’s primary healthcare system.

The plan was unveiled on Tuesday in Kaduna during the State Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue on Onchocerciasis Elimination, Community-Led Advocacy and Integrated NTD Control.

Declaring the dialogue open, the health commissioner, Umma Ahmed, said the meeting was convened to build consensus among policymakers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, Community Drug Distributors, researchers, media and development partners around a community-driven approach.

Ms Ahmed said onchocerciasis remains one of the most significant neglected tropical diseases threatening public health, productivity, and socio-economic development in endemic communities.

She acknowledged Kaduna’s past success, noting that the state was once celebrated for interrupting transmission through decades of community-directed treatment with Ivermectin. She warned, however, that recent data show ongoing transmission in Kagarko and Kachia council areas, signalling a risk of expansion.

Ms Ahmed said findings from the Bridging Borders, Breaking Blindness assessment presented at the dialogue showed that while willingness to take the drug during Mass Drug Administration remains high, only 48.7 per cent of respondents had adequate knowledge of onchocerciasis.

Other gaps identified, she said, included misinformation, fear of side effects, uneven reach by CDDs, insecurity, and weak feedback systems.

Ms Ahmed said the dialogue would produce a Kaduna State Action Framework with clear commitments on MDA coverage, surveillance, and engagement of faith and traditional institutions.

The executive secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, Bello Jamoh, said Governor Uba Sani’s administration is backing the strategy with investment in human resources, essential medicines, and modern equipment.

The director-general of the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority, Abubakar Hassan, said the agency would explore adding onchocerciasis treatment to the state health insurance benefit package. He noted that some households have spent over N300,000 on treatment, forcing them to sell land and property.

“KADCHMA’s role is to reduce catastrophic health spending. Integrating NTDs will protect families from financial ruin,” he said.

Pledging stronger involvement, the district head of Tudun Wada, Kaduna, Tahir Mahmud, said village and ward heads remain the most trusted channels for health messages.

The director of Public Health at the Kaduna health ministry, Abubakar Idris, described the dialogue as critical for coordination.

(NAN)