Health

Expert Corrects Misconceptions about Tuberculosis

By Web News 709

By Lanre Omotosho

Nigerians have been advised to disregard the misconceptions that tuberculosis is hereditary, caused by curses or witches and wizards.

Programme Manager, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer in Ekiti State, Mr. Joshua Orojo gave the advice while speaking with Radio Nigeria in Ado-Ekiti on the commemoration of World Tuberculosis Day.

The TB program Manager who identified tuberculosis as an airborne disease which could be transmitted from one person to another, stressed that late presentation often resulted in blood coughing, hence the misconceptions.

Mr Orojo noted that the misconceptions made many people not to submit themselves for early screening, which led to ten percent death of the discovered cases last year in Ekiti State.

He urged anyone with more than two weeks coughing, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss to visit the nearest health facilities, as funds were available from global partners in conjunction with the Ekiti State goverment to treat tuberculosis patients free of charge.

Mr. Orojo who emphasized that anyone is at risk of contracting tuberculosis,  including children, added that early detection and treatment of the disease would help to eradicate the scourge.

He opined that men were more prone to contracting the disease than women because of social behavior such as smoking and alcohol consumption, which reduced their immunity.

Mr. Orojo noted that with avoidance of over crowded places, good cough etiquette and adherence to drugs regulations, tuberculosis would be eradicated to safe the future.

Since  March 24, 1882 when the bacterium causing tuberculosis was first discovered, the disease still remain one of the world’s deadliest diseases, and the theme for this year is “Yes! We can end TB”.

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Health

Osun Plans to Redouble Effort on Paediatric HIV Case, Tuberculosis Treatment

By Web News 446

By Funmi Adekoya

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke says his administration will double its effort at improving Childhood Tuberculosis and Paediatric HIV case detection and treatment.

Governor Adeleke stated this at the handing-over over of the Tuberculosis Situation Room renovated and upgraded by the Tuberculosis Data Impact and Communication Hub, TB-DIAH, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and support from National Tuberculosis Leprosy Control Program, to the state government at State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo.

The Governor, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Mr. Jola Akintola noted that Osun State had been on the top list of states in Nigeria that had demonstrated strong commitment to eradicate Tuberculosis.

He explained that the state detected and placed on treatment 22,799 tuberculosis cases in 2022 while the state notified 25,000 tuberculosis cases in 2023 which showed more commitment to eradicating Tuberculosis cases.

Governor Adeleke commended the good leadership and coordination of the state Tuberculosis Team work which he said was the reason for the success recorded by the state in eradicating tuberculosis.

The Governor added that the government is concluding a plan to procure additional Tuberculosis testing machines to enhance the already overloaded thirteen GeneXpert machine sites in the state.

Presenting the handover documents to the Governor, The leader of the team, Tuberculosis Data Impact and Communication Hub, TB-DIAH, USAID and National Tuberculosis Leprosy Control Program, Dr. Abiodun Hassan urged the state government to utilize the situation room to upgrade TB data in the state.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Isiaka Adekunle had said that the Situation Room would ease the generation of TB data and communication with all Tuberculosis centres across the state.

Health

Tuberculosis: Health Expert Harps on Aggressive Campaign

By Web News 476

A Public health expert in the Oyo State Ministry of Health, Dr Olatunde Babalola has challenged media professionals to intensify efforts at sensitizing the public on the causes, prevention, and treatment of tuberculosis and other communicable diseases.

Dr Babalola stated this at a three-day review meeting for media professionals in Oyo state, organized by the USAID Breakthrough Action Nigeria.

Dr Babalola who disclosed that Oyo state is ranked 13th high TB burden state in Nigeria explained that out of the one hundred and sixteen thousand, five hundred and thirty-three (116,533) presumptive cases in 2021, eleven thousand, eight hundred and thirteen (11,813) were diagnosed and registered as TB.

He said statistics have also shown that every second, someone in the world is being infected with TB while someone dies of TB in every twenty seconds.

He said statistics have made it more important to raise more awareness on the disease.

In a welcome address, Oyo state coordinator, Breakthrough-ACTION Nigeria, Mrs Oluwatoyin Afachung commended the media partners for their efforts at sensitizing the public and tasked them to do more to achieve a disease-free society.

Mrs Afachung said Breakthrough Action Nigeria was supporting the state government in fight the menace especially through case finding at the community level, appeal to the media to sensitize the people to let them aware of these communicable diseases.

Some of the participants however emphasized the need for media professionals to provide quality content that will drive social behavioural change in the society.

Nafiu Busari

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Health

TB testing crucial to 2035 eradication target – Expert

By Web News 461

For Nigeria to achieve the 2035 tuberculosis-free target there is the need for members of the public to prioritize TB testing.

Oyo State Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Ministry of Health, Mrs Abimbola Oyebamiji stated this at a free TB testing and treatment outreach at the Aramomi Spare Part Market, Agodi in commemoration of the first National TB Testing Week.

Mrs Oyebamiji, who said the only way to eradicate TB and to detect the disease was to increase case testing, disclosed that treatment of tuberculosis is free.

Also speaking, Oyo State Coordinator, Breakthrough Action Nigeria, Mrs Oluwatoyin Afachung said the national testing week was aimed at testing as many people as possible to stop the spread of the disease.

Mrs Afachung commended the impressive turnout at the Araromi Motor Spare Part Market, noting that the campaign tagged “Check Am O” was to create more awareness of the need for people to prioritise testing.

Earlier, Secretary of the traders association, Lorry section, Mr Teslim Iseoluwa appreciated the free testing and treatment initiative.

Our correspondent reports that over one hundred traders and artisans at the popular Araromi Motor Spare Part Market benefitted from the free tuberculosis screening and treatment.

Mosope Kehinde

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Health

Tuberculosis: Access to Proper Healthcare Services is Important – Ogun Gov.’s Wife

By Web News 1258

Ogun State government has blamed the prevalence of tuberculosis in the society to poor access to healthcare services especially among the less privileged.

Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun made this known in a statement in Abeokuta through her media aide, Kemi Oyeleye to commemorate the 2020 World Tuberculosis Day.

Mrs Abiodun who described tuberculosis as one of the major causes of death in Nigeria said there was the need for stakeholders to work together to ensure people have access to quality healthcare services in the state.

The wife of Ogun State governor explained that the celebration of the World Tuberculosis Day with the theme “It’s Time” was to the draw attention of relevant stakeholders on the need to reduce stigma and discrimination as well as to build accountability.  

She pointed out that Ogun State has 306 DOTS sites for TB services which increased from 216 DOTS sites in 2018 across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state while TB diagnosis remained free to patients. 

Mrs Abiodun said eighty-three per cent of a total of three thousand, one hundred and two cases managed in 2019 were successfully treated.

Olusegun Folarin