TB: Nigeria ranks among countries with highest burden

On this year’s World Tuberculosis Day, the World Health Organisation ranks Nigeria one of the countries with the highest burden of Tuberculosis even as  TB deaths dropped 47 percent between 1990 and 2015. 

Tuberculosis is still a major public health problem in Nigeria, with the country ranking high among the high TB burden countries which collectively bear 80% of the global burden of TB that infects about half a million Nigerians every year, and kills 170,000. 

The number of TB cases notified in the country has increased over the last decade although more than 500,000 TB cases have been successfully treated free of charge over the same period and the burden in Nigeria is further compounded by the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic and the emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, disbursed a total of US$165,108,596 to TB control and prevention in Nigeria that recorded a total of 310,000 smear positive TB cases in 2015. 

In a statement to mark the World Tuberculosis Day, themed "Unite To End TB", the WHO calls on countries and partners to unite to end the scourge of TB as a target  in the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The world health body notes that although there has been significant progress in the fight against TB, with 43 million lives saved since 2000, the battle is only half-won as over 4000 people lose their lives each day to TB.

Regretting that many communities most burdened by tuberculosis are the poor, vulnerable and marginalized, WHO says ending TB will only be achieved with greater collaboration within and across governments, and with partners from civil society, communities, researchers, the private sector and development agencies.

Further, WHO says there still formidable challenges despite the advances, adding that, fragile health systems, human resource and financial constraints, and the serious co-epidemics with HIV, diabetes, and tobacco use are still threatening the eradication processes.

“Multi-drug resistant TB, MDR-TB, is another critical challenge. Urgent and effective action to address antimicrobial resistance is key to ending TB by 2030. So are increased investments, as the global tuberculosis response remains underfunded for both implementation and research.”

According to WHO, in 2014, 9.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease, including 380 000 among people living with HIV.

Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director for the Stop TB Partnership, said there are new strategies and a global commitment to end TB.

Ditiu says if the world really wants to end TB, “we need a paradigm shift, a change in the way we fight TB at every level, in every community, in every health facility, in every country. 

"This means changing the way we think of TB, adjusting our packages, policies and guidelines and putting people at the centre of our interventions, so we reach all the people that need them.”