|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Ahead of the World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, the Nigerian Thoracic Society says that neglected TB cases in the country is as high as fifty per cent, which means infected persons are not receiving treatment there increasing the spread of the disease in the affected communities.
Nigeria ranks 4th in global TB infections and the highest in Africa. Tuberculosis is the topmost infectious disease cause of death worldwide; there are estimated 10.4 million cases, 1.8 million deaths annually and representing the ninth leading cause of death globally.
The Nigerian Thoracic Society is calling attention on the need to address treatment gaps, prevention and control of the diseases as part of efforts to mark the 2018 World Tuberculosis Day, with the theme “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free World! You can make history. End TB.”
Peters Etete, president, Nigerian Thoracic Society said, World TB Day is commemorated across the globe with activities as diverse as the locations in which they are held. But more can be done to raise awareness about the effects of TB.
‘TB is a medical disease it has a lot of socio economic confounders, it affects the economically productive age group in the community, thereby affecting productivity. “More worrisome is the fact that about one in three people with TB are never diagnosed and in Nigeria the proportion of missed cases is as high as 50 per cent. This means they will not be treated and they will continue to transmit the disease in the community”’.
“Nigerian has made some significant strides towards TB control, but we know we can do better and faster to achieve the End TB Goal. We recognise the efforts of Nigerian researchers in various aspects of TB, especially, a new TB diagnostics, the Sweat TB Test, invented by a Nigerian researcher/physician. Such innovations with global and public health relevance should be supported and brought to international reckoning by the government,” said Etete,
Olufemi Adewole Secretary general, Nigerian Thoracic Society said the day is an occasion to mobilise political and social commitment for further progress towards eliminating TB as a public health burden which this year’s focus comes in line with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the End TB Strategy and the Global Plan to End TB, 2016-2020, aiming to eliminate TB by 2035.
“It challenges us to look at the fight against TB in an entirely new way: that every step we take should be a step that counts for people and will lead us towards TB elimination. The Moscow TB declaration and the coming the United Nation High Level Meeting on TB are welcome developments that will put TB elimination and control in the front burner; gathering high level political will required to ensure a TB free world. We welcome all these global movements and hope that these should translate to positive action towards eliminating TB”,
“We are using this medium to encourage all patients and contacts of individuals with cough of more than 2 to 3 weeks, sputum production, haemoptysis (coughing out of blood), chest wall pain, noisy breathing, breathlessness, frequent colds, loss of weight, loss of appetite, fever and night sweats, to report to the nearest health facility for necessary tests. For those diagnosed with TB, it is encouraged that they consistently take their drugs for the required months in order to avoid drug resistance. Health professionals should make extra effort in educating patients and effectively applying the DOTS therapy.” Adewole added.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), World Tuberculosis Day is commemorated to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
Despite significant progress over the last decades, TB continues to be the top infectious killer worldwide, claiming over 4 500 lives a day. The emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) poses a major health security threat and could risk gains made in the fight against TB.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
