The Kaduna state recorded 32,297 cases of tuberculosis in the state in 2023, following improvements in case detection to reduce the risk of spreading the disease, the state Commissioner for Health, Umma Kaltume-Ahmed has said.
Addressing a press conference to mark the World Tuberculosis Day celebration in Kaduna, she said Tuberculosis case detection in the state has increased, from 21,557 cases in 2022 to 32,297 in 2023.
“This represents an increase of 49.8% compared to 2022. This case detection rate represents 159% of the state TB case detection target and shows a significant improvement in case finding compared to 53% obtained in 2022. It also reflects the improved support the State TB program receives from the state government and the development partners,” the Commissioner said.
Speaking on the 2024 World TB Day theme: “Yes, We Can End TB”, with the Slogan “No Gree For TB, Check Am O”, the Commissioner said it is a follow-up call to the commitment made by global leaders at the UN high-level meeting on TB in New York four years ago to support the target to end the TB epidemic by the year 2030 by supporting the scale-up of TB access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, sustainable financing including research and ending stigma and discrimination against people affected by TB.
She however noted that, tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers.
“Each Day, over 4,100 people lose their lives to TB, and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since 2000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.
“This conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve global leaders’ commitments to end TB. This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage. More investment will save millions more lives, accelerating the end of the Tuberculosis epidemic.
“We must continue to remind ourselves of the dreaded effect of Tuberculosis, which continues to cause untold morbidity and mortality among our populace. World TB Day provides a unique opportunity for continuous sensitization of Tuberculosis. Kaduna state has scaled up the number of facilities providing TB services to 78% coverage. We will continue supporting this until every facility in the state provides TB services.
“The State’s treatment success rate is about 98.4% indicating that the diagnosed cases of TB were managed successfully. The fight against TB is a collective one. I call on all well-meaning residents of Kaduna state, public and private organizations to join the Kaduna state government in investing in ending TB and saving lives. I also call on everyone to use the opportunity and get tested when coughing for two or more weeks, be rest assured that the disease is curable and the diagnosis and treatment are free and readily available in the state,” she said.
