The Federal Government has announced plans to conduct a nationwide survey on drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) to ascertain its prevalence in the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday during the investiture of the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu as the global and national Stop TB champion by the Global Stop TB Partnership.
Prof Pate said the survey, slated for this year, will inform targeted efforts to combat the drug-resistant TB epidemic in the country.
“This year we will be conducting a national DR-TB survey through the support of USAID and partners to determine its actual burden, and this will guide our targeted actions in addressing the epidemic of drug-resistant TB in Nigeria,” he said.
TB Burden
TB, an airborne disease which spreads via the inhalation of droplets primarily from the coughs of infected people — is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, claiming 1.3 million lives in 2022.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB worldwide in 2022, including 5.8 million men, 3.5 million women and 1.3 million children.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation ranks first in Africa and sixth in the world, accounting for about 4.6 per cent of the global TB burden.
In 2022, Nigeria accounted for 479,000 (19 per cent) of the approximately 2.4 million cases of TB recorded in the Africa region. Out of the 424,000 TB-related deaths in Africa same year, 97,900 (23 per cent) occurred in Nigeria.
Although, TB is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, a specific combination of antibiotics can cure the infection within four to six months for majority of persons. However, these drugs do not work for people with DR-TB.
DR-TB occurs when the TB bacteria become resistant to at least one of the first-line existing TB medications.
Data from KNCV Nigeria shows that in 2021 about 2,975 DR-TB cases were diagnosed out of an estimated 21,000 cases in the country, leaving more than 80 per cent of the resistant cases missing.
The WHO identifies DR-TB as a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance worldwide, posing a substantial threat to public health. Annually, about half a million people fall ill with DR-TB globally.
Improving health outcomes
Prof Pate said the government is currently equipping Primary Health Care facilities with essential resources and personnel, particularly in rural areas, aiming to enhance health outcomes and reduce the burden of diseases like TB.
He emphasized that efforts at ending the TB epidemic in Nigeria resulted in the expansion of TB treatment services (DOTs centres) to about 22,000 health facilities and GeneXpert equipment – a rapid molecular test for TB.
“We are scaling up the use of digital X-ray with artificial intelligence for TB screening among key and vulnerable populations (including children) as we currently boast of 51 mobile digital X-ray platforms nationwide within the programme, and an additional 350 digital X-ray machines will be available before the end of June 2024,” he said.
“As part of our diagnostic optimisation plan, we have also instituted a strong specimen referral network utilizing a hub-and-spoke model that was responsible for the transport of over 2.4 million samples in 2023 for TB tests.”
The minister added that the government is adopting an all-of-society approach through collaborations with the private sector and the community in the fight to end TB in the country.
Award ceremony
At the event, several distinguished individuals and organizations including Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative, AYM Shafa Holdings, Dr Lucica Ditiu, Chief Austin Obiefuna, Dr. Gidado Mustapha, and Dr. Chukwuna Anyaike were honored and recognized for their significant contributions to the ongoing battle against TB.
After the investiture of the First Lady as the Global and National Stop TB Champion, she also decorated the wives of State Governors as State Champions of Stop TB.
Also present at the event were former First Ladies and wives of former Vice Presidents among others.