By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Benue state government has treated over 1,939 patients for Tuberculosis, TB, in three months under its TB Programme.

The State Program Manager of Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Program, Dr. Kaior Akaangee who made this known in Makurdi said the feat was achieved through conscious implementation of the programme in the state.

Dr. Akaangee who explained that the patients were successefully treated of the disease and discharged between April 1 to June 30, 2024 said that the state government was doing so much in ensuring successful treatment of TB cases in the state.

He noted that the state did also not record any deaths of patients on treatment given the strict and comprehensive treatment provided patients.

He lauded Governor Hyacinth Alia for the huge budgetary allocation to TB programme in the state expressing confidence that the timely release of funds and capacity building for health workers would no doubt go a long way to achieve targets for TB implementation in the state.

In a rundown of the programme in the state, the Program Manager pointed out that “active TB case finding through the state TB and Leprosy control program and DOTs services commenced in 2001 in Local Government Areas, LGAs, including Gwer East, Otukpo, Logo and Ohimini and 162 cases were diagnosed and placed on treatment.

“Currently, TB active case finding and treatment is obtainable in all the 23 LGAs. As at June 30th, they are 1939 patients on treatment for all forms of TB.

“This number is the validated number of clients and active cases that were placed on treatment and not those diagnosed. Because of the robust strategies that have been in place, we always identify them early and as at June 30, no mortality was recorded in the state.”

Dr. Akaangee who urged the Benue public to always seek medical help when they notice any suspected TB case, stressed that “there is a treatment centre for drug-resistant TB cases at St. Vincent Hospital Aliade and those with latent TB and close contacts are placed on Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment, TPT.”

He said that state government adopted several strategies in TB case finding by checking public and private places especially in communities and in key populations like Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps Correctional Centres, among HIV infected clients, nomads, among others.

He however pointed out the challenge posed to the programme by inadequate funding, ineffective monitoring, inadequate reporting, low case finding in children, resurgence of HIV, low stakeholder involvement and ineffective stakeholder collaboration saying “all hands needs to be on deck since much has been done in active case finding and treatment, more needs to be done to eliminate the disease in the state.”