U.S.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), an NGO, yesterday, called on governments and world leaders to prioritise the prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis to mitigate avoidable deaths in Nigeria.
AHF’s Programme Director in Nigeria, Dr Echey Ijezie, made the call in a statement it issued in Abuja to herald the 2023 World Tuberculosis Day, themed: “Yes! We Can End Tuberculosis.”
The World Tuberculosis Day is commemorated annually on March 24 to elicit support for tuberculosis sufferers, and to encourage world leaders to focus on ending the disease that is 100% preventable and treatable.
In commemorating the Day, AHF called on heads of states to attend the United Nations High-Level meeting on Tuberculosis in September, to show their commitment to ending tuberculosis in their countries.
Tuberculosis is a serious infection of the lungs caused by a bacterium that spreads through tiny droplets, released in the air when a sufferer coughs or sneezes.
“Ending tuberculosis in Nigeria must come with an intensified level of case finding and patients who show up in hospitals to embrace treatment, which is free across health facilities in the country.
“Importantly, we must increase funding available to tuberculosis, improve the level of education and awareness as well as engage the rising incidence of stigma related to the disease,” Ijezie said in the statement.
Ijezie decried the listing of Nigeria by the WHO as one of the 10 countries accounting for 64% of the global gap in tuberculosis case finding.
He stressed that Nigeria’s situation requires urgent attention as the WHO also listed it alongside India and Indonesia as accounting for almost half of the total gap in case finding.
Importantly, we must increase funding available to tuberculosis, improve the level of education and awareness as well as engage the rising incidence of stigma related to the disease.
AHF’s Chief Global Advocacy and Policy, Terri Ford, was quoted as saying that the Foundation is focusing on tuberculosis by educating its staff members and clients and by providing tuberculosis screening in its clinics.
“The Foundation is also prioritising prevention and treatment of HIV and tuberculosis co-infection, which is one of the main causes of death of people living with HIV.
“AHF urges all government and public health institutions to do their part to ensure tuberculosis research, prevention, and treatment programmes are fully funded and supported.
“We all must do more to finally stop tuberculosis worldwide, particularly in lower-income countries,” Ford said.
According to the AHF, tuberculosis claimed 1.6 million lives in 2021, the year when more than 10 million new infections were also recorded, yet it remained woefully neglected and underfunded in many countries.
“Even as tuberculosis is a global epidemic, more than 95% of deaths occur in lower-income countries.
“WHO estimated that finances were less than 40% of what was needed to prevent and treat tuberculosis in 2022.
“The time is now for heads of state to urgently focus efforts on tuberculosis prevention and mitigate millions of avoidable deaths,’’ it stressed.
AHF is a global non-profit organisation providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy for more than 1.7 million people in 45 countries, including Nigeria.
