THE wife of President-elect, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, has greeted the nation’s children, especially the less privileged, on the occasion of this year’s International Children’s Day.
He assured the citizens of the incoming government’s commitment to the development of children.
In a statement to mark the event, Mrs. Buhari said: “Education is going to be the main focus of the incoming APC government.
“Our children are our future and education of our children is the best way to secure the future of our country.”
Mrs. Buhari called for the speedy implementation of the Child Rights Act, which has been passed by the National Assembly, but yet to be adopted by several states.
She stressed the need to eradicate the menace of insecurity all over the country and restore normalcy in the Northeast with emphasis on encouraging children to return to school and making schools safer.
Nomthi, the South African wife of Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Lagos, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, has established a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) to tackle abuses and other challenges facing children.
Funda Wazi, which means “Learn and Know” in her Zulu mother-tongue, she said, will be involved in activities aimed at protecting the rights and dignity of children.
Mrs Odukoya said many children are faced with challenges that are mainly unattended to.
Some of these including abuse, bullying, deprivation and starvation, she said.
She was particularly concerned that child abuse is assuming a dangerous trend in the society.
The situation, she said, “must be arrested to ensure the physical, social, emotional and mental wellbeing of our future leaders.”
The NGO, according to her, will engage in advocacy and seek to influence policies, practices and processes that affect children.
Children-friendly resources, Mrs Odukoya added, will be produced to increase the capacity of children and that of the society to defend them.
At the formal launch of Funda Wazi which will hold today, a book titled a bully is not a hero will also be launched in Lagos.
The book, according to the author, is a capacity-building mechanism on how children, guardians, parents and care givers can protect kids against bullies.
The foundation, she assured, would “teach, guide and protect children so they can grow to be responsible and balanced adults.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has advised the Federal Government to provide access to healthcare to children and women raped and impregnated by Boko Haram militants.
It spoke against the disclosure by the military authorities that about 214 children and women rescued from Islamist Boko Haram militants in north-east are pregnant.
In a statement by SERAP Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said: “Having survived the horrific crime of rape and sexual violence, these children and women should be spared further physical and mental torture by ensuring that they are urgently allowed access to all necessary medical treatment. Such medical treatment must be provided on a non-discriminatory basis.”
It continued: “These children and women have suffered a wide range of significant physical, psychological and social consequences. Under international law, all victims of conflict, including rape victims, must receive the best care as soon as possible. The children and women are therefore entitled as of right to enjoy access to good quality medical care, including for sexual and reproductive health.
“SERAP is seriously concerned that the pregnant children and women continue to face adverse treatment or lack proper treatment and care. If urgent action is not taken, the severity of the crime against them means many of these children and women can spend the rest of their lives with full blown emotional problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.’’
The group said by ensuring their access to medical treatment and care, President Goodluck Jonathan would be sending a message that the rights of the children and women would be honoured by his government.
SERAP contended that children and women raped during armed conflict are within the “wounded and sick” protected by Common Article 3 Geneva Conventions. Nigeria is obliged to provide all wounded and sick victims of armed conflict with humane treatment, and access to appropriate life-saving medical care and attention required by their conditions without discrimination,” the group said.
“Any denial of access of these children and women to medical care and attention will be life threatening and continue to cause unbearable suffering to them, and therefore contravening Common Article 3, as well as violating principles of humanity and the dictates of public conscience.”
“The Geneva Conventions imposes an absolute duty on governments to provide persons “wounded and sick” in armed conflict with complete and restorative medical care without discrimination,” the organisation stressed.
The group urged the government to ensure that regular information is provided to the public on the exact number of pregnant children and women now being screened by the authorities; the level of medical care and attention they are receiving; the level of their access to the minimum essential food which is nutritionally adequate and safe; basic shelter, housing and sanitation, the level of their access to essential drugs, and the plan for their rehabilitation.”
“SERAP is closely monitoring the situation of the children and women and will take appropriate legal actions nationally and internationally should the government continue to deny them their right to effective remedies, and fail to implement the above suggested recommendations,” the organisation added.
”The UN General Assembly Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action commit states including Nigeria to provide women who are subjected to violence with just and effective remedies for the harm that they have suffered. The right to a remedy for the children and women should include: access to justice; reparation for harm suffered; restitution; compensation; satisfaction; rehabilitation; and guarantees of non-repetition and prevention”, it stated
Without guidance and care, they took to the streets for abode and survival. HANNAH OJO writes on the weird experiences of street children and the dangers they are exposed to.
They roam the streets without hope of a permanent abode. They take wherever they find themselves at the time night falls as home. It could be the inside of an abandoned vehicle, the top of a pedestrian bridge, the frontage of a shop or the underneath of a flyover. They pay to have their baths in public conveniences or do so in open space before sunrise. Although they differ in terms of age and intention, they are united in the fact that they are street children confronted with horrifying social problems.
Tunde Bakare is already 18, but one would take him for a child on account of stunted growth. Looking dirty and unkempt, Tunde, who completed his secondary education at Model College, Ikorodu, Lagos, last year, said he was forced to the streets because of a cruel fate that befell him.
He said: “I came here because I don’t have parents. My mum died during my early years in secondary school, while my father also died after an auto accident he had in 2013. Now, I work as a bus conductor, alaaru (head loader) or agbero (motor park tout) to fend for myself. I sleep wherever I find myself at nightfall. If my mother were alive, I would not be out here.”
Tunde, who kept his toothbrush in his pocket for fear that his peers might steal it, said he trained as an auto mechanic but had to quit because his boss preferred to keep and exploit him long after he was due for graduation.
Tunde, who refused to be photographed, said: “I was due for graduation but my boss would not let me go because there was nobody to finance the ceremony. Sometimes, I could handle a job worth N5,000 only to receive N200. I couldn’t survive with that, so I called it quits. Out here, I make between N1,000 and N1,500 daily. I feed with some of the money and keep the balance with a Hausa man in the market. I want to sit the Joint Matriculation Examination (JME) and go to the university.”
Ordinarily, Daniel Maxwell, a 16-year-old indigene of Abia State, should have no business wandering about the streets. Daniel, who also works as a head loader in Oshodi, told our reporter that he had only been on the streets for two weeks.
Daniel Maxwell (16) works as a head loader to raise his exam fees.
He added: “My friend who introduced me to this place has been here for two years. Sometimes we wake up at 4 am to have our bath in open spaces and canals. I have not experienced much cold but mosquitoes feast on my body inside the Danfo bus at Challenge Bus Stop where I usually pass the night. Some boys have also been prodding me to take Indian hemp but I have promised my mother that I will never smoke.”
Given the way he conducted himself, it was easy to believe that Daniel was not yet given to the rough life of his fellow street dwellers. But how much longer he can withstand the pressure on him to toe their line remains a matter of conjecture. For now, his immediate ambition is to raise the sum of N35,000 he says he needs to write the West African Schools Certificate Examination (WASCE) “in a special centre.”
With the death of his father in 2007, Daniel, the second in a family of six children, left school after he was asked to repeat a class in a public secondary school he attended in Gbagada area of Lagos. With the aunt he was staying with out of town, the stress of going to school from Ikorodu where his mother stayed was daunting. He followed the advice his mother gave him to quit school at SS2 and work to gather money to sit WASCE in a private school.
Daniel said: “My mother stays in Ikorodu and I cannot be coming from there to Gbagada. I cannot go to another public school because Lagos schools do not accept transfer. My father’s family left my mum with six children. Government also demolished my mum’s shop in Alaba Suru where we were staying before she relocated to Ikorodu.”
The lad said he hoped to be on the streets only for a short period within which he hoped to raise the money he would need to continue schooling.
According to a UNICEF statistics, physical abuse accounts for 27 per cent of children who are forced into the streets. The figure includes Somto Ibe, a child that had fled to Lagos from their home in Anambra State after breaking a glass cup. His father had unleashed massive beating on him with a horsewhip, while his mother kept mute. “My Mum didn’t say a word as he beat me. I ran from our home in Onitsha and jumped into the back of a vehicle that was coming to Lagos,” Soft spoken Somto recalled.
Umar (L) and Somto (R) at Oshodi
He recalled that he had sustained injuries from the beating unleashed on him by bigger boys. The street, he said, seemed to be taking a tough toll on him with fresh scars on his body.
Asked if he would be willing to reconnect with his family, Somto stared into the empty space unsure of an answer. As the probing continued, he simply walked away.
At another part of the city, a recreational centre near a motor park on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, were some boys in their late teens and early 20s, many of whom had developed hoarse voices and darkened lips from as a result of smoking. Their reeked with alcohol and their teeth were stained and dirty. It was evident that they had given personal hygiene a wide berth for long. They looked like a pack without hope or ambition as they wandered around in torn clothes weather-beaten bathroom slippers.
Not able to meet their basic personal needs from the meager sums they make carrying loads for passengers at the park or occasionally working as bus conductors, they also engage in anti-social acts like picking pockets and snatching phones. Adebola Street is regarded as their popular fun spot where they watch movies, smoke Indian hemp and romp with fellow street girls who have taken to prostitution. Some of the girls were discovered to have been used as debt bonds to pimps.
At 14, one of them named Qudus Ibrahim had started smoking Indian hemp. He expertly held a wrap of the substance in his hand, puffing into the air with reckless abandon. Surprisingly, he came across as an amiable teenager in his manner of approach. Asked if he would like to go to school, he said no.
“My father is a policeman but we have family issues. I am here to hustle and work on my own. I am what God decided that I would become,” he said in a manner indicating that he had resigned to fate.
But some of the teenagers are not as care-free as they appear on the surface. Some of them share in the fears that are usually associated with their lifestyle. “Smoking igbo (Indian hemp) can cause one’s brain to scatter, but we cannot stop smoking. It is the devil’s handiwork,” one of them said laughing.
A social worker, Mrs. Taiwo Olowoyeye, who also runs a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) believes that most of the street kids are products of broken homes.
She said: “Most of them are neglected children. Also on the streets are children who cannot find their ways back home. Others are children from extremely poor homes who had to come on the street to search for job and shelter. In the process, they engage in child labour, substance abuse and even prostitution.”
She added that street children are at a great disadvantage because being homeless denies them the right to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, moral and social development.
Despite the fact that police often raid the hideouts of these kids, some of them told our reporter that they always bribe their ways out of the nets of law enforcement agents.
With the high number of welfare homes in Lagos, one cannot but wonder why so many of these children roam the streets. Upon a visit to the Lagos State correctional centre for boys in Oregun, our reporter was directed to the Ministry of Youths and Social Development where the Public Relations Officer was not available for comments. Repeated calls and text messages sent to her phone also went unanswered.
Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, a chartered mediator and Director of the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), which has helped to reconnect many street children to their parents, called on parents and guardians to take proper care of their children. She advised them to come to the government if they needed assistance rather than expose their children to danger on the streets.
She recalled that the OPD had helped in placing many children in the custody of the state. “There was a case where we rescued a boy on the street and by the time we went back to the family to find out what was going on, we discovered that the boy had lost his father as a baby and had also lost his mother. The only person left for the child was the grandmother. When we went to interview her, the woman was already paralysed and had to be taken to the village, so there was nobody to cater for the boy. He was hungry and could not go to school.
“In that kind of scenario, we had no choice but to put the child in protective custody. We cannot arrest the grandmother for child neglect because she was lying ill and there was nobody to take care of the boy.”
However, she warned that the case of parents who are negligent and would not take proper care of their children could be taken to the family court where they would be prosecuted for child neglect.
Afternoon nap: Homeless kids at Heritage Park, Oshodi
Hello Harriet, I will like to share this experience. My five-year old daughter and I were sitting amidst a crowd of other children and their parents at a birthday party. It is one of those big ones. We are coaxed through a collection of entertaining outdoor games often involving both the children and us parents.
One of such game has just ended and it’s time for a well-deserved break. Signally a time out, the funny looking Dj begin to blast out a catchy R&B tune from his music corner, many children ran to the open space and eagerly they started displaying their dancing skills as the sang a long, most of us parents were equally enjoying the music. As the artiste rap about their exploits, I noticed the lyrics are peppered with swear words and heavily salted with obscenities. Immediately i asked myself if other parents were hearing what I heard. Been the kind of person that I am, I walked straight to the Dj to change the music because it is not appropriate for the occasion (1st year birthday) did the Dj listen? Instead he reluctantly said to me that he simply provides the genre of music that is usually requested for, at this point Harriet, is when I promise myself to find a way to put this happenings in writing so that you can at least advice parents about the prevalent negative media exposure we allow our young children. It appears that I have finally gotten my chance. Thanks. Mrs. Juliet O. Lagos
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. First of all you can agree with us that in recent times, particular in the past decades, there has been a sharp rise in the amount of negative media that is available to our children in this country. Like our western counterparts, we have also begun to pay the social price of technological development. Increased access to the internet and digital satellite television has provided us with not only a broader information and educational material base, but unfortunately also, explicit and often violence lyrics have in recent years been able to crossover into mainstream pop music, such that they rule the radio waves and are even given much more airtime than they would have been a decade or two ago. However, there are two ways parents paid little or no attention, they are as follows; it appears that many of us are reluctant or could it be we can’t be bothered to exercise our natural right and duty as parents to censor what our kids watch and listen to, in order to protect them. Often times, we turn a blind eye and let them watch or listen whatever tickles their fancy.
Parental guidance regarding television viewing is probably where we score the lowest. For one thing, we frequently do not take coginsance of age restrictions on TV programs and movies, often allowing our 6/7 years old and even younger to watch PG 13,16, even 18-rated programs , lazily wanting to believe that their contents will be “fine” and not too adult to cause concern, when this is often far from the truth. More so, we mostly make erroneous conclusion that once there are no sexually explicit scenes the program me is safe for viewing by children.
We conveniently forget that there are at least two other important factors that inform age restrictions and ratings, namely violence and language.
Should we wonder then why our little boys often embarrass us with extraordinarily violent outbursts and our little girls sometimes suffer split personalities. At home they are daddy’s little girl but out there with their peers they are different. Whilst we certainly do not wish to over simplify the issue of bad behaviour in our children which no doubt has varying causes, it would be equally naïve to suggest that what we allow them to watch or listen to has absolutely no bearing on their behaviour. Children are they consummate imitators of what they see and hear around them. Part of the solution is clearly for us parents to step to the plate and put in much more effort than we are doing recently, to actively censor our children exposure to negative media, the good news is that most of the providers do have parental control services, kindly check with them on how to activate it. In addition, TV is not the only concern; radio and internet are also potentially rife mediums through which our children gain access to pornography and bad language.
Furthermore, some parents lack enough commitment to the need of imbibing personal code of morality and adequate strength of character to be able to say” No” to their peers when the need arises. The truth of the matter is while some are good in censorship; they flunk terribly in the aspect of communication which takes us to our second point. Indeed, there is little point in being able to proudly say, my child is never allowed to watch those violent movies at home, and when anytime he/she is out of your reach he is doing every conceivable thing he can to grab a good bite of the ‘forbidden fruit’. The fact is that expect we are supernaturally able to follow all our children simultaneously everywhere they go from dawn till dusk, our children will spend many of their waking hours away from us. How effective have we prepared them to withstand negative influences on their own? I believe it is counterproductive to outlaw all manner of sins to a young, curious mind, without having the time to sit down and rationalize your thoughts to the child in a way that he/she can relate to and hopefully understand. We must help them realize that they are special individuals whose worth is not dependent on conforming to what their peers expect of them. Parents must help their children develop self- confident. The only way to achieve this is to keep the communication lines open.
Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08023058805. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj
It is that time of the year again when businesses celebrate the Nigerian child. Mr Biggs, the number one quick srvice restaurant (QSR) brand that focuses on children and family has launched this year’s children’s day activation tagged Make a Difference Campaign. It’s a two-pronged campaign aimed at connecting with children on their special day and rewarding loyal customers to the brand.
This marketing initiative leverages on corporate social responsibility (CSR) values to create the needed vibe and hype which resonates with the brand’s target consumers and pull foot traffic to the restaurants.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the brand’s Marketing Manager, Mrs Eustesia Ogunsusi said: “Giving to charity is an age long initiative and as children-friendly and family brand, Mr Biggs seeks to lend credence to this move in a unique manner riding on her expansive network of restaurants to touch lives across the nation in a one–swoop activity. This implies that charity homes benefitting from this event will cut across all regions of the Mr Biggs operations simultaneously. This initiative will be sustained as an annual national campaign.”
She added that during this year’s campaign, Mr Biggs will partner with Coca-Cola to excite consumers through a combo meal offer. “Customers can enjoy their great tasting Mr Biggs rice and chicken meal with a 50cl Coca Cola PET drink for just N1000.It is a discount offer. And anyone who participates in this activation stands the chance of winning a Mr Biggs meal ticket worth N4,000. This will be decided via an in-store raffle draw.”
Ogunsusi added that Mr Biggs change collection boxes are also available at the restaurants for customers to drop their change after products are purchased, stating that the proceeds will be collated and given to charity homes. “We are assuring our esteemed customers that all processes will be transparent and customers will be updated regularlythrough the use of the media.This campaign is driven through traditional and newmedia channels. The brand will enjoy maximum exposure on Facebook given its target market to pull foot traffic to the restaurants. There will be alot of in-store communication to reinforce the message and induce buying decision.”
There will be online activities where customers will earn reward by tagging along, liking the Mr Biggs Facebook page or activities that will be posted on-line for customers’ participation.
Customers are therefore advised to get connected at www.facebook.com/mrbiggsonline and be alert for all updates.
Her husband’s administration is winding down, but no matter. Mrs Josephine Elechi, wife of Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi has continued with her humanitarian project, which she started in a bid to enhance the living standard of mothers and children in the state. Her major concern is the category of such less privileged people as orphans and other vulnerable children.
During the week she oversaw the handover of educational support materials to some selected Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) as well as empowerment support to their caregivers.
In her remarks at the event, Mrs Elechi said the programme which was designed to impact positively on the lives of OVCs and their caregivers, was done in partnership with a foreign partner, the Initiative for Good Health (IGH).
She also assured that the programme will continue even after the tenure of her husband with the support of partner agencies.
She said: ”The programme which has been a regular feature in my efforts at enhancing the living condition of the OVCs, also aims at encouraging our OVC caregivers in their efforts at promoting the well being of this class of children”.
“Today’s event will witness the presentation of educational support to 10 OVCs from nine local government areas of the state, while 20 caregivers will be economically empowered to enable them face various challenges arising from catering for the OVCs under their care”.
“I am particularly pleased to note that most of the caregivers to the OVCs have been doing well in terms of giving these children the needed attention and care that would enhance their living conditions”.
“I want to commend our caregivers for ther efforts at putting smiles on the faces of these less priviledged children, and urge them not to be deterred by the challenges that might be encountering ion the course of doing this work of charity for God Almighty will reward them in his own way”.
She called on the caregivers to ensure effective monitoring and supervision of the performance of the OVCs entrusted to their care, so as to assist MCCI in realising the objectives for the establishment of the programme”.
Mrs Elechi also urged well meaning individuals and groups to assist the MCCI in their efforts at bettering the lot of the OVC by taking some of the children for caregiving, so as to reduce the burden of OVC in the society.
“To the benefiting OVC; I urge you to always be obedient and respectfull tonyour caregivers, and ensure that you participate actively in domestic chores as well as your academic programmes, so as to become better and respectful members of the society in future”
She also urged the beneficiaries to put the funds into effective use to achieve the desired results.
The Medical Director of National Obstetrics Fistula Centre (NOFIC) Abakaliki, Prof. Sunday Adeoye said that there are over 4500 venerable and orphaned children in Ebonyi State going by a recent survey by the MCCI.
Prof Adeoye who is also the Coordinator of the MCCI programme appealed to the care givers to utilize the money given to them adding that the MCCI team will be visiting them from time to time to monitor their activities to know if they are actually utilizing the money for the purposes they were meant for.
She also warned the caregivers not to turn the OVCs to street hawkers.
She commended the Wife of the Governor for her steadfastness in implementing the programme which is one of the thematic area of the Mother and Child Care Initiative (MCCI) Programme of her Excellency
The Special Adviser on Primary Education to Ebonyi State Governor, Martin Elechi, Mrs Beatrice Nkwuda commended Mrs Elechi for using MCCI programme to increase the number of girl child in the state’s educational system. ENDS
The next edition of the Children Art Club, Abeokuta Ogun State will hold on Saturday April 18 at the Cultural and Musical Heritage Centre, Olumo Rock, Ikija, Abeokuta Ogun State.
The Children Art Club which feature art workshop for children in the state is endorsed by InSEA (www.insea.org), powered by the Teaching Visual Art. The programme is open to collaboration and partnership with other organisation to create an artistic engagement and resources to aid talent development for the Nigerian children.
The Southwest Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop Magnus Atilade has called on parents to warn their children against any form of violence activity before, during and after the Presidential election.
Atilade made this called at an Intercessory Prayers For Peace in Nigeria organized by Christian Association of Nigeria in collaboration with Coalition of Christian NGO’s held last Wednesday at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The prayer meeting tagged: “Let God arise brought together hundreds of Christian faithful from different denominations which feature thanksgiving service, prophetic ministration and chain prayer sessions for peaceful conduct of the 2015 election.
According to him, parents should caution their children or ward against any form of violence activities during the 2015 election because God himself would arise and over power them and cancel their entire plan.
Atilade noted that the election should not be a do or die affair and anybody should allow himself to be used by politician bags to cause mayhem or bloodshed.
He said “Don’t allow your children to be used as agent of violence and destruction because God himself would arise and over power them and cancel their entire plan. We have seen the promise land and the promise land is that there would be peace in Nigeria.
He appealed to the federal government to deploy all the security agents of government across the country especially to flash point areas for peace during the elections.
Although he asserted that soldiers should not mount polling stations or deploy to suppress or intimate voters, Atilade said soldiers should be up and running in the discharged of their duty to protect lives and properties.
He continued “Military should be on red alert during the election and anyone that is caught perpetrating violence should be duty accosted. We stand for peace and hate perpetrators of evil in our land. All we are saying is that we don’t want army to be use to suppress voters but to maintain peace and orderliness which is their constitutional responsibility”
In his words, the state Chairman of CAN, Apostle Alex Bamgbola task Christians to continue to pray for peace as the election approaches because God has promise to answer our prayer when we pray to him in faith
He said “God has a plan for our nation and the devil has its own plan too. Thank God for given us Christ Jesus with whom we have our victory. It is only in peace that we can do anything we want to do. It is only in peace that God can bless us. God is not the author of confusion. God bless the people who bless him, we thank him for what he has done.
Each year on 24 March, WHO joins the rest of the international community to commemorate World TB Day. This year’s theme “Gear Up to End TB” is a continuation of the call to reach the missing cases, most of who live in the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities, including those in the African Region.
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s deadliest, yet preventable, communicable diseases and remains a significant problem in the African Region. Every year, there is an estimated 9 million new TB cases worldwide but consistently 3 million cases are either not diagnosed, not treated, or are diagnosed and not registered by national TB control programmes.
These vulnerable populations include children and women, people living with HIV, people with diabetes, refugees, miners and ex-miners, prisoners and drug users whose access to basic health care services may be limited. The poor are also at risk, especially homeless persons and individuals living in densely populated communities.
Among children, there were an estimated 550 000 new cases in 2013. Children with vulnerable immune systems, such as the very young, HIV-infected or severely malnourished, are at the greatest risk of falling ill or dying from TB.
Children can get TB at any age, but the most common age is between one and four years. The source of infection is often an infectious adult that is in a child’s close environment. A TB infected adult often lives in vulnerable communities such as migrants, miners, prisoners, drug users and sex workers whose access to basic health care services may be limited.
“Any child living in a setting where there are people with infectious TB can become ill with TB, even if they are vaccinated. If infected, TB is often missed or overlooked due to non-specific symptoms and difficulties in accurately diagnosing the condition. This highlights the urgent need to strengthen health systems to be able to manage TB and it’s other associated health conditions,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The HIV pandemic also threatens TB control efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Wherever children are at risk of HIV infection, the HIV-infected children are at risk of TB. Overall, 34 per cent of TB cases are estimated to be co-infected with HIV in the African Region. In parts of southern Africa, more than 50 per cent of TB cases are co-infected with HIV.
TB is a treatable and curable disease. Active, drug-sensitive TB is treated with a standard six-month regimen of four antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support by a qualified health care worker or trained volunteer.
There has been continued progress in the implementation of collaborative TB/HIV activities but intensified efforts are needed, especially to ensure universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). In 2013, 70 per cent of TB patients known to be HIV-positive were on ART. This level, however, falls short of the 100 per cent target set for 2015.
As a minimum, all HIV-infected children should be screened for TB and all children with TB should be offered HIV testing and counselling in high HIV prevalence settings. Irrespective of age, all HIV-infected children who are household contacts of infectious TB cases should be evaluated for TB disease and treated.
For the first time in four decades, new TB drugs are starting to emerge from the pipeline, and combination regimens that include new compounds are being tested in clinical trials, but the funding required to rapidly evaluate whether these treatments are effective and ready for implementation is far from adequate.
The end of 2015 marks a transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to a post-2015 development framework. Within this broader context, WHO has developed a post-2015 global TB strategy (the End TB Strategy) that was approved by all Member States at the May 2014 World Health Assembly.
