…ranks 11th among 22 high burden countries

BY VICTORIA OJEME & RAPHAEL IZOKPU

Minister of  State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, yesterday, expressed concern at the high prevalence of tuberculosis in the country.

Alhassan, who also noted that the country was ranked 11th among the 22 high burden countries in the world, said the 22 countries accounted for 80 per cent of Global TB burden, with a total of 180,000 cases occurring annually in Nigeria.

Speaking on the occasion commemorating the World TB Day, Dr. Alhassan maintained that the disease remained an epidemic, and blamed non-detection of the disease for the high number.

He said:   “Tuberculosis today, remains an epidemic in most parts of the world, causing the death of nearly one-and-a-half million people each year, mostly in developing countries.  Nigeria ranks 11th among the 22 high burden countries that account for 80 per cent of global TB burden.

”The World Health Organisation in 2013 Global TB report estimated that a total of 180,000 TB cases occur annually in Nigeria.

”However,  the recently concluded National TB prevalence survey have revealed that actual burden of TB in the country is about three times higher than the current WHO estimates and five times more than what is being notified by the programme.

”The burden of the disease in Nigeria is further made worse by the negative effects of the interactions between TB  and HIV.”

He described TB as the most common life-threatening disease and the number one killer among ‘people living with HIV,’ PLHIV.

Dr. Alhassan expressed regret that despite efforts by government to eradicate the scourge,  most of the TB patients in the country were still being detected, blaming the development on the large pool of  infectious people.

According to him,  the TB Knowledge and Attitude, KAP, survey conducted in 2013 also showed that knowledge about TB in the community was low.

Alhassan, however, assured that government would continue to provide drugs for management of drug resistant TB and associated logistics.

”We will also continue to build the capacity for management of drug resistant TB at all levels. While this is ongoing, the expansion of services for drug-susceptible TB from the current 5,356 treatment centres will be pursued aggressively,” the minister said.