Nigeria: World Tuberculosis Day – Nigeria Records 200,000 New TB Cases in 1 Year

Nigeria recorded a 50 per cent increase in Tuberculosis (TB) notifications from 138,591 cases in 2020 to 207,785 in 2021, LEADERSHIP has learnt.

This means that TB has been diagnosed in these persons and it has been reported within the national surveillance system.

It was also learnt that directly observed treatments (DOTS) clinics also known as (TB-DOTS) are only available in 44 percent of health facilities in the country and that only nine per cent of these facilities have TB diagnostic services.

Also, there are about 405 GeneXpert machines in the country, whereas 774 of these machines are needed for TB diagnosis.

Meanwhile, stakeholders in the TB control programme have identified huge funding gap as a major setback, stressing that of the $373 million needed for TB control in the country in 2020, only 31 percent was available to all the implementers of TB control activities and only seven per cent of the 31 per cent was provided by the Nigerian government while 24 per cent of the funds came from donors.

They noted that adequate funding was crucial to ending the TB epidemic in the country, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has put an end to TB progress at risk.

As the world commemorates the 2022 World TB Day today, theme: “Invest to end TB. Save lives”, governments at the national and subnational level have been urged to step up funding for TB to save lives and end TB by 2030.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that with 36 per cent of all TB deaths occurring in Africa, failure to invest in the TB response is set to take a formidable toll on African countries.

WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said increased investment can be a game-changer, and alleviate the preventable suffering and death of millions of people.

“Today, I call on governments to mobilise additional domestic financial support for TB control, including contributions to the Global Fund, which last month launched its US$18-billion Seventh Replenishment campaign in a bid to counter the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the fight against TB.

“I urge all stakeholders to advocate for increased investment, and to ensure that TB services are integrated into the primary health care response. We must all also work more closely with our communities, leveraging their expert local knowledge to tailor response efforts for maximum impact.

Meanwhile, the director and national coordinator, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, said there was need for the private sector to be involved in the TB control programme in the country, saying the government cannot do it alone.

Anyaike, who stated this on Wednesday during a road walk to commemorate the World TB Day, in Abuja, however said that there was a National Strategic Plan 2021-2025 which captures all the strategies that would be put in place to combat TB in the country.

The chairman, House Committee on Aids, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, and member of the Global TB Caucus, Abubakar Dahiru, said the National Assembly was proposing a bill to create the National Tuberculosis Agency.

He said “We political leaders will continue to champion for our countries to enact policies that prioritise the needs of affected communities and the creation of a sustainable funding landscape for TB especially around research and development bearing in mind the current global situation due to the COVID 19 pandemic.”

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