A new report has ranked Nigeria fourth among six countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the world. The report on the global incidence of the disease released recently by the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that Nigeria and five other countries –  India, Indonesia, China, Pakistan and South Africa  – accounted for 60 per cent of the total TB cases in the world in 2015.

According to the document tagged “2016 Global Tuberculosis Report,” an estimated 10.4 million new TB cases were diagnosed in 2015 globally while an estimated 1.8 million people lost their lives to the disease that year. The report also revealed that a total of 0.4 million people were co-infected with HIV. It said that the affected countries need to move much faster to prevent, detect and treat the disease if they are to meet global targets.

The report further stated that although global TB deaths fell by 22 per cent between 2000 and 2015, the disease was one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide in 2015 and was responsible for more deaths than HIV and malaria. The WHO, in the report, regretted that the gaps in testing for TB and reporting new cases remain major challenges. It pointed out that of the estimated 10.4 million new cases, only 6.1 million were detected and officially notified in 2015, leaving a gap of 4.3 million. This gap was said to be due to the underreporting of TB cases, especially in countries with large unregulated private sectors, and under-diagnosis in countries with major barriers for accessing care.

However, the report noted that the rate of reduction in TB cases remained static at 1.5 per cent from 2014 to 2015. The global health agency wants this accelerated to 4-5 per cent by 2020 to reach the first milestone of the World Health Assembly-approved “End TB Strategy.”

Also, the Director General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, lamented that global actions and investments to end tuberculosis epidemic are falling far short. Despite governments’ agreement on targets to end the tuberculosis epidemic both at the World Health Assembly and at the United Nations General Assembly within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, Chan said “we face an uphill battle to reach the global targets for tuberculosis.”

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It is lamentable that TB is still a scourge in Nigeria despite the fact it is curable and its drugs are readily available in most health facilities in the country. Nigeria should use   approved global strategies to keep TB at bay.

The country needs to work towards prevention, detection and treatment of the disease. Government should also enlighten the public on the symptoms of the disease and how to access treatment promptly. Since TB and HIV manifest similar symptoms, people that show such signs must seek medical attention immediately.

People suffering from persistent cough should seek medical treatment. Those down with TB should be quarantined and given treatment until declared free of the disease. Good enough, the cure for TB is now well known and the treatment is free in most government health facilities.

Government should ensure that our Infectious Diseases Hospitals (IDHs) are functioning at optimal level. It should ensure that the TB drugs are widely available in the country. There is need to ensure public hygiene in the country. We should keep the environment clean at all times. Nigerians should also imbibe the hand washing culture as this practice can ward off many infectious diseases, including TB. Since some people with TB do not know, it is advisable that those suffering from persistent cough should go for test and treatment. People should do away with the superstition that TB is caused by evil attacks and seek treatment in approved health facilities. All tiers of government should work in concert to bring an end to the high TB burden in the country.