Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, IHVN, Professor Patrick Dakum, has disclosed that based on the World Health Organisation’s report, Nigeria tops Africa with tuberculosis infection and 6th on the global scale of 30 highly burdened countries.
Prof Dakum disclosed this while speaking on the theme “Yes, We Can End Tuberculosis in Nigeria” to mark this year’s World Tuberculosis Day.
According to him, despite the availability of free treatment, tuberculosis disease has killed more than 71,000 people in Nigeria in 2023.
The 2023 Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Plateau State also disclosed that in 2023 alone, over 400,000 infection cases were recorded, and 43,000 children were treated for the disease.
He argued that the record is scary and requires urgent efforts to end the airborne disease through safety precautions and good hygiene. He urged the government at all levels, including individuals and NGOs, to invest funds in the fight to eradicate tuberculosis in Nigeria.
Prof Dakum further explained that public awareness campaigns should be intensified using all social media platforms, and campaigns for prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease should be carried out regularly.
“Tuberculosis treatment is available, free of charge and is not a dead sentence. Patients should not be stigmatised; preventive treatment should be taken by the persons staying with Tuberculosis infected person,” he said.
He promised that under his watch, IHVN would continue spearheading tuberculosis community outreach, early detection, treatment, and expansion efforts while thanking all donor agencies and the institution’s staff for their commitment to tackling HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other diseases in the country.
According to him, tuberculosis can be eradicated from Nigeria if the current tempo of the fight against it is sustained.
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