Despite having the highest Tuberculosis (TB) burden in Africa and 6th in the world, Nigeria has over 300,000 of its Tuberculosis cases undiagnosed and consequently untreated annually, authorities say. The figure represents 75 percent of the country’s total TB cases.
Nigeria had in 2015 pledged to end TB by 2030 alongside 193 other countries, but still records a significant number of missing cases yearly which has stalled the fight against the disease in the country.
A representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Ayoyede Awe who disclosed this at the 2019 National Tuberculosis conference in Abuja on Wednesday said the missing cases reside in rural communities where patients are hardly aware that they carry the disease.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdullahi Mashi quoting the 2018 WHO TB report in Nigeria said over 418, 000 Nigerians of all ages are estimated to have tuberculosis annually with the working age group being the most affected by TB diseases and deaths.
Mashi stated that 120,000 Nigerians die annually from the disease. He added that the Low TB case finding in adult and children has remained a key challenge as only 25 percent of total case is diagnosed and treated.
He said, “in 2018, only 25 percent of the estimated TB cases in adult and children were notified leaving over 300,000 cases undiagnosed, in childhood tuberculosis only 20 percent, was notified leaving over 30,000 children with TB undiagnosed.
The permanent secretary further lamented that barely 26 percent of Health facilities across the country render TB services and its diagnosis has remained a challenge. According to him, only 315 out of 774 Local Governments in Nigeria has a machine for diagnosis services.
The first Lady of the Federal republic of Nigeria and the Global TB champion and Ambassador, Aisha Buhari on her part harped on the need for all stakeholders to work together to build stronger partnership to end TB in Nigeria.
The first lady said the the conference theme ” Building stronger part to end TB in Nigeria” is apt while stressing that it’s only through effective coordination that tuberculosis can be defeated.
She therefore pledged to engage the first ladies of the 36 states to be champions of their respective states.
The chairman, Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, Lovett Lawanson noted that the treatment coverage of TB cases has remained low at 25 per percent and case notification stagnated over the past five years.
To this end, he called for the need to devise better ways of improving access to care and to bring key stakeholders on board to address the funding gap which is currently over $310 million.
Godsgift Onyedinefu, Abuja
