By Amin Kef Sesay
In a statement issued by the US Embassy in Sierra Leone, it was indicated that the United States Government, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), has supported the Government of Sierra Leone by providing medicines to entire communities through campaigns every year to eliminate several neglected tropical diseases.
The statement continued that because of the partnership with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health, 12 districts have successfully reduced transmission of lymphatic filariasis (known locally as “bigfoot”), meaning children living in these districts will grow up without the risk of being infected.
It furthered that additionally, through 14 campaigns to distribute medicines for river blindness, 5.5 million Sierra Leoneans are receiving annual treatment for the disease. Sierra Leone is on track to eliminate these two neglected tropical diseases by 2030.
Worthy of note is that World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is celebrated every year on January 30th with the aim of drawing attention to neglected diseases and motivate communities to continue to participate in prevention, including taking part in campaigns to distribute medicines and to practice good hygiene to further reduce the spread of those diseases.
This year’s theme for World Neglected tropical diseases day is “Advancing Health Equity to End the Neglect of Poverty-Related Diseases”.
The statement from the US Embassy says the United States, through USAID, remains strongly committed to supporting the people and Government of Sierra Leone in eliminating bigfoot and river blindness, and bringing under control other parasitic diseases that can be prevented and treated.
It further stated that the partnership between the Governments of the United States and Sierra Leone and with civil society through Helen Keller International is enabling Sierra Leone to distribute over 125 million medicines valued at over $267 million of donated drugs.
Based on the statement, those campaigns are crucial to combat neglected tropical diseases endemic in Sierra Leone, including Lymphatic Filariasis (bigfoot), Onchocerciasis (river blindness), Soil Transmitted Helminths (worms) and Schistosomiasis (mansoni).
