Tuberculosis Detection, Case Control Must Be Prioritised In Rural Areas—-Stakeholders

As the world edge closer to end tuberculosis by year 2030, health sector stakeholders in Nigeria have raise concern on the need to priorities tuberculosis detection and control measures in the rural communities to enable Nigeria meet the 2030 target.

Speaking at with journalist before the commencement of a roadshow organised to celebrate the 2023 World Tuberculosis Day (WTBD), the Executive Director, KNCV Nigeria, and Chairman of 2023 National Word TB Day Planning Committee, Dr Odume Bethrand, disclosed that most TB cases are from the rural communities.

He noted that the last NTBLCP report across the 36 states of Nigeria on Tuberculosis indicates that 40% of the detection made were in rural areas as detection, treatment and coverage gap which still stands at 66 percent as at the end of 2021.

” Sincerely speaking, for us to meet the global target for TB case control in Nigeria, the people at the rural communities need actually to be considered and brought on our back.

” I will tell you for instance, most of the cases we are seeing presently are actually coming from the communities. If you look at the NTBLCP last report is actually shows that 40% of the Cases are coming from the community and that’s why national program and partner had intensified efforts to ensure that we push TB case finding within the Community.

” What is happening here in Abuja, i am the chair of the organizing committee. We have planned that it will happen across the 36 states in the country and the move this year is to move” he added.

Speaking at the walk, Dr Bolatito Ayanika, Deputy Project Director for Tuberculosis and Malaria, Breakthrough Action Nigeria said there would be more intensification of awareness on TB disease. She said, ” What we will be doing differently in 2023 is that we will keep the repetition of awareness for emphasis.

“So the more you say it, the more people understand it. Sometimes you say something once though you hear it, you heard it, but it really did not sink. By the time you say it again, you have a better understanding.

“So that’s why we’re doing this again to make sure that people actually understand and we don’t want them to only understand. We want them to get involved. We want them to be advocates. We want them to be their brothers keeper.

” We want them to go out and tell other people.And when they see anybody that is coughing for two weeks or more, we want them to help the person to get help.

“We want everybody to know about the 3340 that there is a helpline. You know, we want people to know that if they go to a place and somebody is charging you money, there is help, you can go and call 3340 and say I want free test, I want free treatment.

“So what we’re doing differently this year also is to make sure that we’re doing this more than just in Match. So this is the week of what tuberculosis, When it is May during the Children’s Week, we’re going to do another one focus on children.

“When it is August, the 1st week of August, we’re going to do it again and focus on testing, you know. So the good thing is that we have been seeing progress. If you look at the data from the National Tuberculosis Control program, you will see the progress that we have made over the years. Before they said we had only 24% notification rates. Now we are almost up to 50%. You know our target is 100%, so that everybody that has tuberculosis, they get help, they get treated, you know, and they are, they are cured. Anybody around them is put on preventive treatment so that they don’t come down with the disease. So that’s what we’re doing differently this year, making sure that everyone is involved and that’s why our slogan for this year is yes, we can help to be in Nigeria gets involved.” She added

Also Speaking at the event, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ozi said, “Year 3030 to us the year given to eradicate TB, but as it is we still have a long way to go in Nigeria. From what we had last year, we were able to notify 200, over 280 thousand new cases of tuberculosis out of about 400, so you see. From that you know we have,we have covered up to about 60% of notification rate, leavingabout 40%. So we still have a long way to go, but we want to see as much as we can to be able to get.

“The response in TB control program to the nearest minimum.” said Ozi