•Target 550,000 children, 10 LGAs for exercise
By Joy Salami
The Kogi State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Sightsavers, has commenced a two-day 2026 Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) and Onchocerciasis Planning Meeting held at Idrinana Hotel, Phase 2, Lokoja, as part of continued efforts to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) across the state.
The Ministry, through its NTDs Control Programme, has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating NTDs across the state, with Sightsavers providing key technical and funding support for the exercise.
The meeting brought together Directors of Primary Health Care, Local Government NTD Coordinators, Assistant Coordinators from the 21 local government areas, development partners and other key stakeholders to strategize ahead of the next round of mass drug administration for children across the state.
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Speaking at the programme, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Adewale Adedeji, said the meeting was aimed at accelerating the elimination and control of neglected tropical diseases as a public health problem by strengthening state capacity to effectively implement preventive chemotherapy, case management, disease surveillance and morbidity management interventions in line with the National NTD Strategic Plan.
Adedeji explained that the Federal Ministry of Health remains committed to strengthening state health systems through technical assistance, capacity building, supportive supervision, improved supply chain management and enhanced monitoring and evaluation to ensure efficient utilization of resources and improved health outcomes.
He noted that reducing the burden of NTDs would improve the health, well-being and socioeconomic productivity of affected communities by preventing disabilities, expanding equitable access to essential health interventions and contributing to the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Also speaking, the Kogi State Neglected Tropical Diseases Coordinator, Musa Momohjimoh, said the planning meeting followed a successful round of mass drug administration conducted about six weeks earlier, during which approximately 480,000 children across 15 local government areas received treatment.
According to him, the current campaign will target about 550,000 children with Albendazole 400mg tablets for the prevention and treatment of soil-transmitted helminth infections.
He revealed that the intervention would be implemented in 10 endemic local government areas of the state — Omala, Ankpa, Idah, Kogi, Lokoja, Mopa-Muro, Ijumu, Ajaokuta, Okehi and Ogori-Magongo, where the disease remains prevalent. He said the exercise is aimed at protecting children between the ages of 5 and 14 years from infection and its associated health complications.
“What we are doing is preventive chemotherapy. This state-level planning meeting is bringing together relevant stakeholders to discuss logistics, drug distribution and implementation strategies, especially during the rainy season, to ensure that every eligible child receives treatment,” he said.
Momohjimoh explained that after the state planning session, similar meetings and training would be conducted at the local government level before health workers and Community Drug Distributors (CDDs) are deployed to communities. He expressed optimism that by the end of July, all eligible children in the targeted local government areas would have received the medication.
Describing the exercise as the state’s second round of mass drug administration for the year, the coordinator noted that Kogi State has sustained the programme against soil-transmitted helminths since 2015, recording significant reductions in disease prevalence over the past eleven years, and commended the Federal and Kogi State Governments as well as development partners, including Sightsavers, for their continued support in the fight against NTDs.
He added that the state is awaiting the Federal Government’s impact assessment, which will evaluate progress, identify areas requiring additional intervention and guide future programme implementation. Momohjimoh urged participants to cascade the knowledge acquired during the meeting to local government teams to ensure effective implementation and maximum community participation.
He also appreciated the Kogi State Government for creating an enabling environment and prioritizing the fight against NTDs, including onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis, with the ultimate goal of ensuring healthier, disease-free children across the state.
