ABUJA (Federal Ministry of Health Report) – The Federal Ministry of Health has launched the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis (TB) Control, 2015-2020 and the Dissemination of the First National TB Prevalence Survey Report.
While delivering his keynote address at the event lately, the Supervising Minister of Health and Minister of State for Health, Khaliru Alhassan (Dr) said that until recently, the burden of TB in Nigeria was based on estimates. He noted as heart-warming the fact that the Federal Ministry of Health with the support of development partners has successfully conducted the first national TB prevalence survey in the country.
He also explained that TB is transmitted through the air which puts everyone at risk of being infected with the germs; saying with an estimated 9 million new TB cases globally in 2013, TB remains a disease of major public importance. He pointed out that based on projections from the survey result, Nigeria diagnosed and reported only 16% of the estimated TB cases in 2013. He further stressed that with this very low TB case detection rate, the country accounted for 15% (about 500,000) of the 3.3 million TB cases that were either not diagnosed or diagnosed but not notified in 2013.
The Minister informed that with the Transformation Agenda of the present administration, the Federal Ministry of Health and development partners have developed a new National Strategic Plan for TB Control 2015-2020 focused on the National Strategic Health Development Plan. He revered that it is a robust response which defines the strategies and resources for addressing the menace of TB in Nigeria, reflecting on the commitment of Government to providing directions for the control of TB in the country.
Khaliru Alhassan opined that Government is committed to tackling the problems posed by TB and indicated that the lessons learnt from the recent containment of the Ebola Virus Disease is a testimony to what Nigerians can collectively achieve. While calling on development partners, organised private sectors, civil society organisations and well-meaning individuals to buy into the strategic plan in line with the principle of ‘three ones’: one action framework, one national coordinating authority and one monitoring and evaluation system, he charged the media to inform the public about TB with key messages such as: “cough lasting two or more weeks could be TB,” “TB is curable and Diagnosis and TB drugs are available at no cost in all DOTS centres nation-wide.”
In his goodwill message delivered at the occasion, the WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Rui Gama Vaz said that the survey report being launched has been validated by WHO and other international partners. He intensified that this was necessary since the survey has revealed the actual burden of TB in the country which is almost 3 times what was previously estimated.
Rui Gama Vaz disclosed that Nigeria is now the 3rd highest TB burden country in the world and the 1st in the African Region; stating that owing to the current 16% TB cases notification rate, the country’s TB treatment gap has also become the highest accounting for 15% of the global gap. He noted that the survey also confirmed a worrisome situation with regards to Multi – Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
“According to the survey, Nigeria is now the 13th highest MDTR-TB burden country globally. It is also the 2nd highest in the African Region with an estimated 3,700 cases per year of which only about 500 have been put on treatment,” he revealed.
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