Statistics available reveal that in 2023, there were an estimated 486,000 cases of Tuberculosis, but only 320,283 were notified (66%), while about 165,717 (34%) TB cases were missing.
The disclosure was made by Dr. Yakubu Gida, Director of Tuberculosis at the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and Leprosy (BACATMA), while giving an overview of the infection in Bauchi state during a technical dialogue meeting on TB financing by LANGA Women Development Initiative, held at the NUJ Press Center in Bauchi on Wednesday.
While discussing the TB situation, he stated that Nigeria ranks first in Africa in terms of the number of TB victims, with a TB incidence rate of 219 per 100,000 of the population. It also ranks sixth globally among 30 high TB burden countries.
On the epidemiology of Tuberculosis, Yakubu Gida stressed that TB is the leading infectious killer after COVID-19, surpassing HIV/AIDS.
According to him, in 2023, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, including 5.8 million men, 3.5 million women, and 1.3 million children.
On TB prevention, he said that there must be vaccination (BCG) for children, early referral of all persons coughing for more than two weeks to DOTS centers, early diagnosis in the hospital, and taking drugs regularly (the correct number of tablets and completing six months of treatment).
He also emphasized practicing cough etiquette by all coughing individuals (covering the mouth while coughing and not spitting sputum in open areas), ensuring cross-ventilation in homes and offices, adhering to and completing treatment, and HIV/AIDS prevention and care.
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Giving a background of the state TB program and TB burden/situation in Bauchi state, the Director stated that with the national TB prevalence at 330 per 100,000 population and an incidence rate of 219 per 100,000 population, with an estimated population of 7,500,896 in 2023, estimated TB cases for Bauchi stand at 16,427.
He, however, stated that at the end of 2023, only 9,297 TB cases were notified, giving a state TB notification rate of 56%. Therefore, over 7,130 (44%) TB cases in the state are undetected, which serve as a reservoir for continued transmission, referred to as ‘The Missing TB Cases.’
He said that the number of DOT centers in the state is 719 (Target 799 @ 10/100,000 population), the number of microscopy centers is 127 (Target 340 @ 1/50,000 population), the number of GeneXpert machines is 16 (Target one per LGA), Truenat is 3, and TB Lamp is 8.
The challenges of TB management, according to him, include low financial backing from the allocated budgetary provision, lack of state counterpart funding for TB, low community awareness of the early signs and symptoms of TB, low total TB case finding including childhood TB case finding and notification, low geographical coverage of TB diagnostic and treatment centers, and low private sector participation in the TB Control Program.
The way forward, according to him, is that the state government should increase budgetary allocation for TB and ensure prompt release. BA-N should continue demand creation to raise community awareness, while BACATMA should support active, innovative ways of increasing total TB and childhood TB cases, particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as PLHIV, migrant populations, slums, and OVCs.
Additionally, nutrition clinics, congregate settings, and prisons should expand TB diagnostic and treatment centers to achieve universal coverage, including new technology. NTBLCP should engage and incentivize private sector participation in the TB Control Program.
In her opening remarks, Maikudi Grace, Executive Director of LANGA Women Development Initiative, stressed the need for domestic sourcing of funding for tuberculosis rather than depending on foreign donors and international development partners.
She added that the Bauchi State Government must seek other sources to fund TB management, considering that the state is one of those with a high number of victims.
Maikudi Grace also emphasized the importance of advocacy for prompt releases of budgetary allocations for TB activities, as well as proper monitoring of the expenditure of the released allocation.
She assured that her NGO will continue with the advocacy to relevant agencies and stakeholders to achieve the set objectives of the project in Bauchi state.