Ahead of the 2021 World Tuberculosis Day, health experts have called for increased case detection and management at community level if the country is to eliminate the disease.
Every March 24, World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated to raise public awareness about the health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
Speaking during a virtual press briefing on Friday, the National Coordinator, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), Chukwuma Anyaike, said the country needs to focus on detecting and treating new TB cases.
According to Mr Anyaike, “the country detected 138,000 cases in 2020 regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic but can do much better with all hands on deck.”
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that often affect the lungs.
It is spread from person to person through the air. When people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.
New data released by ‘Stop TB Partnership’ shows that global treatment and diagnosis of TB cases witnessed a drastic decline in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 100 million people worldwide.