The Cross River Commissioner for Health, Dr Egbe Ayuk has disclosed that more than 7000 new tuberculosis cases have been reported in Cross River State, southern Nigeria within the past two years. He siad this in Calabar, the state capital, during a walk to mark this year’s World Tuberculosis Day.
Dr Ayuk, who also disclosed that no fewer than one hundred and forty nine deaths were recorded with the period, attributed the rise in the rate of infection to the 2021 ENDSARS vandalism of the Dr Lawrence Henshaw Infectious Disease Hospital, Calabar.
Ayuk noted that the state government was collaborating with international and local partners to reduce the spread of tuberculosis and provide affordable treatment for those infected to reduce the mortality rate.
He said, “the mortality rate is not accepted. TB is a killer yet it can be prevented. It can be treated and cured. This is why we are on this campaign to let people know that any cough that last more than two weeks, the person could visit the nearest health centre to access care.”
The commissioner stated that Cross River has 177 tuberculosis treatment centres where any infected person is given free services, noting “when an infected person visits any of our treatment centres after diagnosis and such a person is declared positive, treatment will commence immediately free of charge. No money is required or collected not even for clinic card or consultation. This is what we need people to know.”
Causative factors
Also in an interview, the Director Public Health and Programme Manager, Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control in Cross River State, Dr Bassey Offor, explained that one infected person was capable of transmitting the disease to more than fifteen persons within a year.
Offor said that out of the eighteen local government areas in Cross River State, four have high prevalence rates and these he noted included Calabar South, where the vandalised infectious disease hospital is located; Ogoja, which is home to thousands of refugees fleeing the crisis in southern Cameroon Republic.
Others, Offor listed included the dense populated Boki local government area and Yakurr, which houses the largest village in West Africa, stressing “we emphasize early diagnosis and prompt treatment to avert death as well as stop the spread. One person with tuberculosis can infect 15 or 20 people if care is not taken. The local government areas with the highest prevalence rate are Calabar South, Ogoja, Boki and Yakurr. People living in a crowded and filthy environment. Some people have poor cough etiquette as a result others can contract the bacteria easily. It is very easy for anyone with compromised immunity to contract tuberculosis, even alcoholics, diabetics and malnourished individuals can easily be infected,” he explained further.
Special outreaches
Similarly, the State Coordinator, Breakthrough Action – Nigeria, Mrs Pascaline Edim said that the bacteria causing tuberculosis is airborne and can become active in an individual with compromised immunity, who has been exposed to the droplet.
Mrs Edim disclosed that Breakthrough Action – Nigeria, the implementing partners to scale back tuberculosis was supporting the Cross River State government effort to reduce the prevalence rate across the local government areas.
She said, “we have been conducting outreaches in partnership with other international agencies and the state government to make treatment available to the people. We have been sensitizing, screening and taking samples from suspected cases for proper diagnosis.We have been promoting and conducting COVID screening, immunizing babies especially with the BCG vaccines as a preventive measure because children can also contract tuberculosis.”
This year’s World Tuberculosis Day celebration features a 2 kilometre city walk and a special thanksgiving service held at Christ for the World Mission, Abasi Obori street, Calabar South.
VON
