World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concern over the daily loss of 3,800 lives to tuberculosis with about 30,000 people falling ill despite being a preventable and curable disease.
The state coordinator WHO, Dr Ibrahim Salisu, who spoke on behalf of humanitarian partners yesterday in Maiduguri, during the commemoration of the 2024 World Tuberculosis Day with the theme ” Yes! We can end TB, Get Involved”, said global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 75 million lives since the year 2000.
Salisu said in its global tuberculosis report, WHO highlighted that more than 7.5 million people with TB received access to diagnosis and treatment in 2022, the highest since WHO began monitoring 30 years ago.
Represented by the public health officer WHO, Dr Aisha Kadai, Salisu said despite significant strides in medical science and public health, TB remains a formidable global health threat, particularly in vulnerable and marginalised populations.
“Today, as we gather to commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB ) Day, we come together not just to raise awareness but reaffirm our commitment to combating one of the oldest and deadliest diseases known to humanity.
It is a day to reflect on our progress, acknowledge our challenges, and renew our dedication to ending the suffering caused by TB,” he said.
The Borno State commissioner for health, Prof Mallam Baba Gana, said tuberculosis affects people of all ages, saying that apart from HIV/AID, tuberculosis is the second highest killer disease globally.
“So, this day is very important and I urge members of the media to leverage this day to educate the teeming population of the state on symptoms of TB such as persistent cough, loss of weight, blood in the spittle, among others. The media should educate the public to know that treatment of TB is free in any government hospital across the country.
“The Ministry of Health in collaboration with partners such as WHO, Global Fund , UNICEF , MSF Belgium among others are working assiduously to ensure that TB issues are well focused and treated throughout the state,” he said.
One of the survivors of TB, Noah Moses, who said he contracted the disease in 2021, but got cured after undergoing test and treatment, said having experience of the disease through his mother who once contracted it, the moment he began to see stains of blood in his spittle with constant cough, he went for a test where he was confirmed positive, before he was treated.
He urged people to always look out for the symptoms of TB such as sweating at night, stains in spittle among others for an early treatment.
