The Federal Government is urging young individuals to collaborate in raising awareness about the risks of undiagnosed and untreated Tuberculosis (TB) through social media and personal influence.
The Head of Advocacy and Social Mobilization at the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Jamila Amin, made the call during a TB advocacy meeting with young volunteers in Abuja on Friday.
The meeting focused on exploring innovative strategies for raising awareness on TB.
Dr Amin said the government recognizes the youth as the most dynamic and productive segment of the population, hence their potential to effectively disseminate accurate information about TB to peers and fellow Nigerians.
She urges the youths to lend their voices to the fight against TB, adding that their involvement in advocacy would increase detection and treatment of cases, ultimately breaking the cycle of new infections.
“Young people are the most productive age group and they are the most agile and move around more. They also have very low health-seeking behaviours, so we are targeting them because we know that if we get that population, we would have a large chunk of the TB burden controlled,” she said.
Speaking the event, the Executive Director of Debriche Health Development Centre in Nigeria, Deborah Ikeh, noted that her advocacy group aims to harness the efforts of young individuals to overcome barriers and eradicate TB in Nigeria.
Ms Ikeh highlighted the lack of awareness about the treatability, curability, and preventability of the disease, emphasizing the importance of mobilizing and empowering young people as advocates to address this significant challenge.
She said leveraging the platform of the youth, their voices, and movement is crucial in spreading awareness about TB signs, symptoms, and solutions.
She said: “Only 30 per cent of people are aware of TB signs and symptoms and this is a huge challenge for the nation.That is why today, mobilizing young people and empowering them as champions to be advocates is very important.”
Implication of stigmatization
In his remark, the Executive Director of KNCV Nigeria, Dr Bethrand Odume warned that stigmatization and discrimination remain key barriers to accessing TB care in the country.
Dr Odume lamented the belief that still exists among many Nigerians that TB is incurable and linked to witchcraft activities.
He noted that this misconception contributes to widespread stigmatization, rejection, and shaming of TB patients, causing them to conceal their condition and avoid seeking assistance.
“We know TB is preventable and we need this information to get to everyone. A lot of the youth now are on social media, which is why getting social media influencers can help address some of the barriers stopping people from seeking care,” he said.
About TB
TB — an airborne disease spread 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.
In the year 2019, Nigeria Africa’s most populous nation recorded an estimated 440,000 new cases (of these, 46,000 were also HIV-positive) and about 150,000 died from TB, according to WHO.
Despite availability of effective and inexpensive treatment in the country, Nigeria is ranked seventh out of the 30 highest burden countries for TB and second in the Africa region.