With more than 200 million Nigerians at risk for at least one of the 17 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), UNICEF has said that water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are critical in the prevention and care for all the diseases.
UNICEF which also decried the endemic nature of open defecation, (OD) in the country has posited that addressing open defecation will help to eliminate NTDs in the country.
Addressing journalists during a two-day media dialogue on “Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases” in Lagos, UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Jane Bevan said many of the NTDs are transmitted through poor sanitation, adding that “Unless we all practice safe sanitation and hygiene, there is a risk that we will all get more NTDs.
Bevan said that practicing hand washing is perhaps the most affordable immunisation that all Nigerians, including children, can receive that will actually assist to save lives and avoid some of these diseases.
“We have been able to achieve 126 open defecation-free LGAs in the country and we are working hard to ensure more LGAs achieve open defecation-free (ODF) status,” she added.
UNICEF WASH Specialist, Mr Monday Johnson said Nigeria has the highest NTD burden in Africa and open defecation remained a significant contributor to the spread.
He listed some of the NTDs to include; onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, soil transmitted helminthiasis (STH), among others are transmitted through contaminated soil and faeces, perpetuating a cycle of poverty, malnutrition, and ill health.
“By addressing open defecation, we can significantly reduce the transmission of NTDs, improved sanitation and hygiene practices can break the cycle of infection, protecting vulnerable populations, especially children and women”, he added.
Linking how open defecation fuels NTDs, Johnson said: “NTDs are a proxy for poverty which prevails among vulnerable and marginalised populations. NTDs and poor access to WASH contribute to a vicious cycle of poverty and disease. NTDs can lead to catastrophic health expenditure and reduced economy.
On what UNICEF is doing to end open defecation in Nigeria, Johnson said UNICEF works very closely with governments and the Clean Nigeria Campaign to make a difference on the issue of poor sanitation and open defecation in the country.
On her part, communication officer for UNICEF Nigeria, Blessing Ejiofor said Nigeria will not be able to achieve other health interventions, without addressing issues around open defecation.
“This is even as she had urged the media to create more awareness on the danger of open defecation and the need to end the menace.
Speaking on the challenges of tackling OD the National Coordinator, Clean Nigeria Campaign, Mrs Chizoma Opara, who said Nigeria was off track from being open defecation free (ODF)
by 2030, decried infrastructure deficit, adding that 20 million toilets is needed to be constructed both in public and private places.
She identified huge funding gap, adding that a total of $10 billion annual investment is needed as current investment is estimated at $0.8 billion annually.
Other challenges she listed include low political prioritisation, weak policies and institutions and low private sector participation.
“Noting that only 18 per cent of Nigerians (37 million people) have access to safely managed sanitation services, she also disclosed that Ebonyi State leads in open defecation followed by Plateau State while Zamfara is the lowest with one per cent who defecate in the open.
WhilevBorno, Abia, and Kano states have only two per cent who defecate in the open, three per cent of Anambra and Lagos state citizens similarly defecate in the open.
On the milestones achieved by the campaign, Opara said by 2030, every Nigerian will have access to safely managed sanitation and hygiene facilities in cities, small towns, and rural communities.
She said the campaign is committed to eliminating open defecation by 2025, attain 100 per cent coverage of improved sanitation with a mix of on-site and sewage systems by 2030 and effective systems are in place for fractal sludge management by 2030.