Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Botwev Orhii, has raised the concern over the growing spread of a deadly skin disease known as Buruli ulcer.
The disease, locally called Ambi, has continued to ravage several communities in Benue State for over a decade.
Dr Orhii, who first identified the disease during his tenure as NAFDAC chairman, said that Ambi was long misunderstood and attributed to witchcraft until scientific investigations confirmed it as Buruli ulcer.
He explained that the disease, caused by mycobacterium ulcerans, is a bacterial infection that requires urgent medical attention rather than traditional or spiritual remedies.
According to him, the disease is spreading silently across rural communities in Ushongo Local Government Area and other parts of Benue, leaving many victims with severe wounds, disfigurement, and disabilities.
He expressed deep concern over the worsening situation and urged the federal government to treat the outbreak as a public health emergency, calling on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to deploy immediate intervention.
Corroborating Dr Orhii’s call, the member representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Terseer Ugbor, has sponsored a motion on the “Need to Address the Spread of Buruli Ulcer Disease in Benue State.”
The lawmaker warned that the infection, a neglected tropical disease, has caused years of pain and economic hardship for rural dwellers and continues to spread rapidly despite the availability of effective treatment.
“Many victims in Benue are suffering avoidable disabilities and social stigma simply because there are no diagnostic or treatment centres nearby. Samples are often sent to Lagos for testing, and sometimes they return with false results,” Ugbor said.
He urged the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC to establish a well-equipped laboratory and research centre at the NKST Aku Comprehensive Health Centre and the Cottage Hospital in Ikyobo, Ushongo LGA, to serve as specialised centres for diagnosis and treatment of Buruli ulcer and other communicable diseases in the region.