A Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, Action Health Incorporated, AHI, on Tuesday launched Tuberculosis, TB, awareness campaign and treatment in Benue.
Speaking at the launch in Makurdi, Founder/Director of AHI, Dr. Uwem Esiet, said it became necessary to create public awareness in the state because Benue was one of the states with high prevalence rate of TB in the country.
According to him Tuberculosis remains a serious public health threat to the men, women and children of Nigeria, and ranks sixth among the 30 countries in the world in terms of the numbers of people with TB disease.”
Represented by Tunde Onasanya at the event, the AHI Director explained that the World Health Organisation’s record stated that TB is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide
According to the report, in 2017, 10 million people fell ill with TB, and 1.6 million died from the disease (including 0.3 million among people with HIV).
He added that in 2017 estimated 1 million children became ill with TB and 230,000 children died of the disease.
The AHI director also disclosed that an estimated 54 million lives were saved through TB diagnosis and treatment between 2000 and 2017.
He therefore emphasised on ending the TB epidemic by 2030 in line with the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
The Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr. Sunday Ochinjele commended the NGO and partners for assisting the state in the fight against TB.
He said the aim which was to implement Tuberculosis Awareness Campaign and treatment across 26 communities in three high tuberculosis-burdened local government areas; Otukpo, Gboko and Makurdi, was highly commended.
He said that the campaign was in line with the National Strategic Plan of Action Goal of providing Nigerians with universal access to high-quality, patient-centred prevention, diagnosis and treatment services for TB, TB/HIV and Drug Resistant TB by 2020.
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He also said that the launch of the fight against TB was aimed at intensifying detection and reporting of TB cases beyond existing health facilities to communities and individual households.
Ochinjele recalled that the NGO had trained 60 health workers and sensitised over 1000 indigenes of Benue on detecting, reporting and timely referrals of suspected Tuberculosis, TB, cases to designated health centres.
He thanked the NGO and partners for funding the TB awareness and treatment campaign as well as donating a furnished chest Unit at the BSUTH, Makurdi.
