Yusuf Oketola
THE State of Osun recorded a total of 44,397 of tuberculosis cases between 2020 and 2022, according to report.
A report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global TB report indicated that Osun recorded 6,599 cases in 2020, 14,999 in 2021 and 22,799 in 2022.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that over 25,000 patients are currently receiving treatment in the state.
According to the report, an estimated 10.6m people developed tuberculosis in 2021, with Nigeria having the highest figure (467,000) of the cases in Africa and accounting for 4.6% of the Global TB burden.
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In its efforts to put an end to TB and attain the Sustainable Development Goal-3 (SDG-3), the Federal and State government of Osun are adopting various strategies to find the estimated 200,000 TB patients missed annually for testing, diagnosis and treatment.
Speaking with newsmen and stakeholders at a press briefing marking the 2023 World TB Day in Osogbo, the State Director of Public Health, Dr. Bello Akeem, said Osun has intensified efforts to improve TB case finding, stating that a cough that persists for more than two weeks can be a symptom of tuberculosis.
According to him, the state won two awards in the TB programme; one for the highest case notification rate and the other for the best State Programme of the year award for 2022.
Akeem attributed the success to robust communication-based activities (both outreach and house-to-house approach) and affective collaboration with partners.
He appreciated WHO and other development partners working on TB eradication, saying the collaboration with the state Ministry of Health has made the achievement possible.
The Coordinator of WHO in Osun, Dr Ahmed Bello, said the effort of all health workers is pivotal to ending the scourge of TB in Nigeria.
Bello explained that WHO offers support to the state in the fight against TB by providing regular technical oversight, monitoring and mentoring health workforce.
Speaking at the event, a 29-year-old TB patient, Ayo Ogunsola, a carpenter residing in Osogbo, said he was diagnosed with TB in October 2022, after complaining of shortness of breath, weight loss, body weakness and cough.
He said: “I was scared when told I tested positive for TB and gone into seclusion, but with my wife’s encouragement, I started treatment in November 2022. All the services, from testing to treatment have been free.”
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