Professor Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health, Lagos State, has disclosed that there are over 4,300 active tuberculosis cases currently being treated in public health facilities in the state.
In an Instagram post on his profile on Sunday, Abayomi decried the number of TB cases in the state with its severe impact on the patients’ health.
According to him : “There are many individuals suffering from TB in Lagos state who are yet to report to health facilities and who remain undetected, untreated and therefore pose an infection risk to society. A person with active TB may infect an average of 10 to 15 persons annually. TB can be spread through the air thereby making everyone susceptible,” he said.
The commissioner reported that a total of 52,652 cases of tuberculosis had been detected in the nation over the course of four years: 11,723 in 2019; 10,150 in 2020; 13,499 in 2021; and 17,280 in 2022.
“The public health threat posed by TB has become even more complicated with the emergence of drug-resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) and by extension Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB) variants of the disease caused by strains of the causative bacteria that are resistant to commonly used medications,” he stated.
DR-TB and XDR-TB account for more severe cases and those are difficult to treat thereby requiring the use of very toxic and expensive medications.
He explained that 11 per cent of all TB cases in Nigeria are found in the state, with an estimate of 54,000 individuals believed to be suffering from TB due to the National Incidence Rate of 219 per 100,000 populations.
The good news however is that TB is preventable, treatable and curable, he stated.
He assured that the Governor Babajide Sanwoolu’s administration in collaboration with development partners, are unrelenting in the effort to bring the scourge to an end.
Each year on 24 March. World TB Day is commemorated to bring attention to the serious health, social, and economic repercussions of this preventable illness and to spur on action to put an end to it.
This year’s theme, ‘Yes, we can end TB’, highlights the need to ensure equitable access to prevention and care, in line with the drive towards Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals.
He further revealed that TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers, and it is the commonest cause of death among persons living with HIV. According to the global TB report 2022, about 10.9 million people fell ill due to TB in 2021 and 1.5 million deaths occurred due to TB infection. Nigeria is ranked 6th among the countries that contribute to the global burden of TB with over 440,000 estimated cases as of 2019. Lagos State accounts for 11 per cent of TB cases in Nigeria with an estimated 54,000 persons projected to be suffering from TB based on the National Incidence Rate of 219 per 100,000 populations.
“Our aspiration as a government is to see that everyone becomes aware of the threat TB poses to individual and community health. The ultimate desire is to ensure that Lagosians replace TB stigma with love with a shared responsibility to encourage and, when necessary, accompany relatives, friends, and neighbors to get tested and treated for TB.
“It is the collective responsibility of Lagosians to identify, support and ensure treatments for all persons affected by TB. Our individual and collective action may save a life!
“Lagos State Government is determined to prioritise unimpeded access to screening and treatment in the TB response initiative.
“Our commitment to achieving universal access to quality TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care is the utmost priority!
“It is time to end TB for a greater Lagos rising,” he said.
