The Federal Government has established over 6,000 health centres and 135,000 facilities to contain tuberculosis in the country, Joseph Kuye, Head of monitoring and evaluation, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme, has said.
The NTLCP official disclosed this at a stakeholders meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the centres were to strategise on ways of curbing tuberculosis in Nigeria.
Kuye said tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that often affects the lungs, noting that the disease is curable if detected early.
According to him, researches show that tuberculosis is an airborne disease and spreads easily from person to another.
He said Nigeria is among the highest burden countries in Africa and in the world.
Kuye said: “However, health authorities are putting more efforts to partner with stakeholders to fund and get new strategies to curb the disease in Nigeria, believing that the spread is due to lack of funds.”
Aderonke Agbaje, the Associate Director for Global Fund Programme, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, said another dangerous stage of Tuberculosis, called TB-MDR, had been discovered, and stressed the need for constant check.
Agbaje said: “One-third of the world’s population has latent TB, which means that people have been infected by the bacteria but are not ill and cannot transmit the disease.
“The menace of tuberculosis has been associated with poverty, humanitarian crisis and overcrowded environment and is the leading killer of people with HIV in the world.”
Agbaje advised any person coughing consistently for two weeks to seek medical help, saying: “TB test and treatment are free in all government hospitals.”
Trending
- Multichoice hikes DStv, GOtv prices
- Dangote Group, elixir of Gateway international Trade Fair – OGUNCCIMA
- CSR: Natures Gentle Touch cleans up Aswani Road
- Hydrogen hosts catalyst workshop, highlights resilient business models for Fintech startups
- Tinubu approves take-off of Consumer Credit Scheme
- Over N650m debt profile: Oyo clamps down on advertising practitioners, third-party agents
- NAF airstrikes kill terrorists, destroy hideouts in Borno
- Man docked for allegedly obstructing arrest of notorious criminal