An international organisation, Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF;
French for 'Doctors Without Borders') says that 100 children have again
been affected by lead poisoning complications in Anka and Bukkuyum LGAs
in Zamfara in the last three months.
The MSF Project Manager, Malam Zakariya Mawattia, revealed this in Anka on Wednesday at a stakeholders' meeting.
He said that the rate at which fresh cases were recorded was alarming
in spite of the concerted efforts of the MSF, government and other
organisations to control lead poisoning affliction among children.
"Between
December 2012 and March 2013, we recorded an average of thirty to forty
fresh cases of complicated lead poisoning in children from Bagega and
six other affected mining communities every month.
"This has
become a source of serious concern to us and other organisations that
are involved in the control of lead poisoning effect on children.
"What
is giving us more concern is the fact that the officials of the federal
and state ministries of health have not demonstrated sufficient
commitments to partner with us in the intervention so that by the time
MSF winds up, the state health personnel can take over.
"As it is,
MSF is afraid that when it finally disengages from the country, there
is nobody on ground to manage the lead poisoning disease," the MSF
Project Manager said.
According to him, MSF is ready to offer
technical services and expertise to government officials so that they
can handle cases of lead poisoning.
The Zamfara Commissioner for
Environment and Solid Minerals Development, Alhaji Mukhtar Lugga, while
speaking, expressed the readiness of government to partner with the MSF.
He
commended MSF and other organisations for their support and assistance
toward controlling the impact of lead poisoning in the state.
He
said that the federal and state governments had embarked on the
remediation of the village and were determined to complete it before the
commencement of the rainy season.
He said that the action was a response to the MSF's conditions for setting its lead poisoning clinic in Bagega.
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