About 165 million Nigerians are currently in need of treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
This was revealed in the Nigeria Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Economic Impact Report.
The figure represents 84 percent of the entire population of the country.
The maiden edition of the report, commissioned by the END Fund and conducted by Deloitte Nigeria, also showed that with a projected population increase of 263 million by 2030, the figure may increase, thus the need for urgent action.
The report also indicated that Nigeria will save $18.9 billion if the country is able to eliminate NTDs by 2030.
Speaking with journalists on Friday at the 2023 World NTDs Day Town Hall Meeting in Abuja, senior director, Public Affairs for Africa, END Fund, Oyetola Oduyemi, disclosed that there was a significant setback to the fight against NTDs during COVID-19 in 2020.
Oduyemi explained that the treatments that should have been delivered to the people were disrupted by the outbreak of the pandemic.
“It was just a free for all and as a result, there was a significant increase in the number of people and that is why, at present, over 168 million Nigerians are in need of treatment for one or more of these diseases,” she added.
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