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Tag: Tuberculosis

  • Bauchi claims 81 per cent success in Tuberculosis cure

    Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Agency for the Control ofTu HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA),Dr Mansur Dada, Friday said the state had recorded  81 per cent success in the treatment of Tuberculosis last year.

    Speaking during the celebration of  World Tuberculosis Day  held in Bauchi, with the theme ‘Unite to End Tuberculosis’, Dada said of the 3,239 cases recorded in the state,  2646 were treated.
    He said the state had increased its Tuberculosis Treatment and Diagnostic Centres, from 23 in the 2007, to 90 in 2017.
    He said that additional strategies would be implored to increase public awareness on the disease.
    Speaking on challenges, the chairman said that there were cases of resistance to drugs experienced by some patients.
    He also lamented that funding had reduced drastically as a result of the gradual withdrawal of  some donor organisations.

  • Anambra records 2000 cases of tuberculosis

     

     

     

    Anambra state has been hit by over 2000 cases of tuberculosis, says the state commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike.

     

    The commissioner said this on Monday in his office in Awka, while briefing reporters that the patients were receiving treatment at various Directly Observed Therapy Centres in the State.

     

    He hinted that Anambra State and 13 other states, including Federal Capital Territory (FCT), contributed to over 75 percent of the total TB burden in Nigeria.

     

    The theme of his briefing was “Find TB, Treat TB and work Together to Eliminate TB”.

     

    The Commissioner waved aside the belief that TB could be caused by voodoo.

     

    He said the disease was caused by a germ called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, adding that it was spread through the air when people who had active TB in their lungs sneeze, cough, spit, speak or sing.

     

    Akabuike added that people living with HIV were more vulnerable to TB infection, adding that the ailment could be cured when detected early.

     

    He therefore commended the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano for the prompt payment of salaries of health workers and provision of health facilities for the TB programme as well as signing of MoU with the global funds to contribute 20 percent of the funds by the donor to control TB in the State.

     

     

    Earlier, the State Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Officer, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Okolie and the Director Primary Health and Disease Control, Dr. Emmanuel Okoye  had stressed the need for people to go for diagnosis and treatment when detected, adding that diagnosis and treatment were free.

     

  • 2,000 tuberculosis cases recorded in Osun in 2015

    No fewer than 2,200 cases of tuberculosis disease were recorded last year in Osun State.

    The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Akinyinka Esho, made this revelation while speaking at a press conference to mark this year’s World Tuberculosis Day in Osogbo, the state capital.

    Esho, who said it was important for people to know that the disease was curable, also disclosed that its treatment is free.

    He further disclosed that the state government had mapped out a strategy to enlighten the populace about the symptoms and places to visit to cure the disease, adding that efforts on sensitisation programs would be intensifies on radio and television stations.

    Saying that latest method of diagnosis of the disease through a Genexpert machine has been made easy, he revealed that free treatment is available in State Hospitals at Osogbo, Ilesa, Iwo, Ikirun, Ife and Ejigbo.

    Also, as part of activities to sensitise residents of the state about the disease, a road show was organised at the weekend by the state Ministry of Health in collaboration with some civil society groups and Non Governmental organisations.

  • Prolonged coughing? Could be tuberculosis

    Prolonged coughing? Could be tuberculosis

    Have you coughed for over two weeks? Whether the cough is ‘treated’ or not, it is time to visit the hospital and screen for tuberculosis.

    According to the General Manager, Loving Gaze, a non governmental organisation (NGO) in charge of St Kizito Hospital at Jakande, Lekki, Barbara Pepoli, coughing for over a week is a strong signal that tuberculosis could likely be in the offing. And most people do not go to TB/DOTS units in hospitals to get examined.

    She stated this when participants at the Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES) Class 15 of the Pan Atlantic University (PAU) visited the TB/DOTS unit at St Kizito.

    She said the prevalence of other illnesses that sustain TB is a public health emergency in Nigeria.

    “Tuberculosis thrives in immune compromised patients, such as those with diabetes and other illnesses like HIV as well as malnutrition and in old age. Diagnosis and subsequent treatment of such illnesses is vital in TB patient care. We are grateful to Chevron for equipping this hospital’s TB/DOTS centre. We are now strengthened for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with complications from TB and or TB associated diseases.

    Ms Pepoli said no fewer than 8,000 Tuberculosis patients have obtained care and treatment support at the TB/DOTS Centre of St. Kizito Clinic, Lagos in the last 10 years and out of this number over 1, 200 patients were treated successfully since the establishment of the Centre in 2005.

    She said the effort was recognised by the Lagos state Ministry of health, which formally designated the Clinic as a TB/DOTS site operating under FMOH/NTBLCP guidelines of Nigeria.  Nigeria is among countries with a high burden of Tuberculosis. Over 10 percent of the national TB burden is reported by Lagos State which has the highest burden of TB in Nigeria.

    Pepoli said the feat was made possible by the support of Chevron. Through the oil company help, the hospital acquired the Blood Chemistry auto analyzer – a critical improvement to services rendered to St Kizito Clinic TB patients because it allows complete screening of data sets of blood cells, both qualitative and quantitative.

    Jakande, Idi-Araba, Mushin and Oreta with support from Chevron Nigeria Limited, the hospital has remained the only comprehensive TB/DOTS unit with experienced and trained health personnel and laboratory facilities.

    On his part, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, CNL, Deji Haastrup, represented by the Coordinator, Corporate Responsibility and National Programmes, Policy, Government and Public Affairs (PGPA), CHL, Mr Sunday Okegbemiro, explained the company’ssupport for the hospital is in line with the NNPC/Chevron Joint Ventures Tradition of Care, which includes a robust health programme as part of its Corporate Responsibility obligations. “The company views healthcare as a crucial social service that is at the core of its success as business”, he added.

  • Eliminating tuberculosis in Nigeria

    Eliminating tuberculosis in Nigeria

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Tuberculosis (TB) is a global pandemic, killing one person in every 20 seconds.

    “TB is global. About two billion people are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis; in 2013 alone, the disease killed nearly 1.5 million,” it says.

    The global health agency says that TB is “second only to HIV as the leading infectious killer of adults worldwide.

    “It is also among the three greatest causes of death of women, aged 15 to 44 years, and it is the leading infectious cause of death among people living with HIV and AIDS.

    “TB is a leading killer of HIV-positive people, causing one-fourth of all HIV-related deaths,’’ it adds.

    According to medical experts, TB is caused by a pathogenic bacterial species known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which often affects the lungs.

    They add that the disease is spread from person to person through the air.

    “When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected,” the experts say.

    A WHO report, however, indicates that about one-third of the world’s population has latent TB (a situation whereby a person, who is infected by TB bacteria, has yet to manifest the disease and cannot transmit it).

    It mostly affects young adults in their most productive years. However, all age groups are at risk, with over 95 per cent of cases and deaths recorded in developing countries.

    HIV-positive persons are 26 to 31 times more likely to suffer from TB, as HIV and TB form a fatal combination, each speeding the other’s progress.

    The risk of contracting active TB is also greater in persons suffering from other conditions that impair the immune system.

    The WHO report notes that the use of tobacco greatly increases the risk of TB disease and death.

    “It accounts for more than 20 per cent of TB cases worldwide,’’ it adds.

    As part of efforts to draw global attention to the health problem, March 24 is celebrated every year as the World Tuberculosis Day and the day is designed to build public awareness about tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease.

    Nevertheless, WHO has initiated six core strategies in efforts to address TB. These include providing global leadership on matters critical to TB; developing evidence-based policies, strategies and standards for TB prevention, care and control, while monitoring their implementation.

    Others are providing technical support to member states; catalysing change and building sustainable capacity; monitoring the global TB situation, and measuring progress in TB care, control and financing, among others.

    Mr. Umar Bako, the Coordinator, TB/Leprosy Control, Gwagwalada Town Clinic, Abuja, says that there are two types of tuberculosis — the extra-pulmonary TB and the pulmonary TB.

    He says that the extra-pulmonary TB, which is not infectious, affects any part of the body such as the bone, skin and brain, among others, while the pulmonary TB affects mostly the lungs.

    “Because lung TB is productive; one can cough it out and when that is the case, another person may inhale it through dust.

    “The person will start to have symptoms of TB, especially if the immune system of the person is not strong,” he adds.

    Bako notes that the signs of TB include cough, sometimes with blood, sneeze, chest pains and fever, among others, adding that these signs may last for more than two weeks.

    He, however, insists that whoever manifests such signs ought to undergo a medical test to ascertain whether the condition it is TB or not.

    He, therefore, advises people to go for TB screening to ensure its early detection and management, adding that those who are already on treatment should strictly adhere to the treatment schedule so as to avoid drug resistance.

    Bako says that the treatment for TB is for six months, noting that patients, who adhere to the treatment schedule from the beginning to the end, will be cured of the disease.

    Also speaking, Dr Patrick Dakum, the Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria, urges the Federal Government to strengthen its efforts to curb TB afflictions in the country.

    He cites the report of a survey conducted in 2012, which indicates that the TB prevalence rate in Nigeria stands at 322/100,000 population.

    Dakum, however, insists that in efforts to prevent TB, pragmatic plans ought to be made identify suspected TB sufferers before moving to contain the infection.

    “If you do not want TB to spread, we should first of all ensure that persons, who have the mycobacterium, are not allowed to cough it around the community.

    “Once we identify those people, we isolate them for the purpose of treatment.

    “Once we do that on a large scale, we will be able to reduce TB transmission and, therefore, minimise the number of those suffering from the disease.

    “If we do not do something about finding those who have TB and treating them very promptly, we run the risk of having several other people contracting the disease.

    “Every additional index case you get has a potential for spreading to other people.

    “So, the onus lies on all stakeholders to raise public awareness about TB, while our health care system should be repositioned to isolate those suffering from the disease for prompt health care,’’ he says.

    Dakum, however, notes that the mortality rate for TB is low, when compared to Ebola and other communicable diseases, stressing that TB could be treated and well-managed if identified early enough.

    Nevertheless, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement, says that sustained research and prevention are crucial in efforts to create a tuberculosis-free world by 2035.

    “With some 37 million lives saved between 2000 and 2013 through the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, it is clear that we are within sight of one of the greatest global health victories.

    “We have the opportunity not just to reverse the spread of tuberculosis but, by 2035, to end this epidemic that continues to bring suffering to so many families worldwide.”

    Ban urges governments, communities affected by tuberculosis and health workers around the world to intensify their efforts to eradicate tuberculosis, in line with the ambitious strategy of the World Health Assembly in 2014 to end the global epidemic within two decades.

    “While the achievement by 2015 of one of the key health-focused Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely the reversal of the spread of tuberculosis, is significant, the World Tuberculosis Day reminds governments and communities that this is no time for complacency.

    “Efforts must begin now to ensure the effective global roll-out of the `End TB’ strategy and stimulate research that will underpin its success,” the UN scribe says.

  • ‘Dearth of research aiding spread of tuberculosis’

    Before a large audience, Prof Ade Dosunmu, a lecturer at the Delta State University (DELSU) in Abraka said the dearth of adequate research and knowledge on tuberculosis among medical practitioners in the country was the major cause for the increasing cases of the disease.

    Prof Dosunmu was speaking at the 40th inaugural lecture of the university held at the expansive Pre-degree Lecture Hall. He spoke on Tuberculosis: The new nemesis.

    Apart from trained pulmonologists, the inaugural lecturer said, most general and private practitioners have scanty knowledge about tuberculosis care. This, he said, leads to lack of capacity to manage or diagnose patients suffering from the disease.

    The medical expert also said the inadequate information was aiding the spread of the disease globally, noting that a third of the world’s population was being infected with the disease every year.

    He lamented the poor state of facilities in public hospitals, saying that the supervision of infected patients for treatment period required energy, dedication and follow-up by health supervisors.

     

  • Tuberculosis Centre brings relief to Iseyin

    Tuberculosis Centre brings relief to Iseyin

    Tuberculosis, a deadly and contagious disease that has been ravaging the people of Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State for years now may be eradicated soon following the setting up of a Standard Tuberculosis Centre (STC), by the council’s administration in partnership with a foreign foundation, OSEHEYE OKWUOFU reports.

    For the people of Iseyin Local Government Area in Oyo State, their long wait for a cure for a strange disease that has been ravaging their community for years now is almost over.

    Not a few lives had been lost to this disease that had seemingly defied detection until recently when public health officers from the local government during a routine public health campaign found out that the strange ailment that had struck down a lot of people was indeed Tuberculosis.

    The health campaign which led to the detection of TB in the area was ordered by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the local government, Alhaji Saheed Yusuf Alaran and the over 300, 000 residents of the agrarian community are excited and grateful to their chairman and his party the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    And following the discovery, the council has set up a Standard Tuberculosis Centre (STC) for the treatment o the disease, a development seen as a milestone in the lives of the people of Iseyin town and its environs.

    The setting up of the centre is in addition to the other modest achievements recorded by the Alaran’s administration in the council in the areas of health, infrastructural development, education, agriculture, sports and empowerment of the people

    Support for the centre is coming from Damien Foundation, the global organisation at the fore front of the fight against the deadly disease. The organisation was contacted by the council chairman for help immediately it was discovered that Tuberculosis was present in the community.  And the help has been coming in the form of support and needed motivation to ensure that the disease is completely eradicated in the community.

    The TB centre, which is seen as the pride of the community, is sitting on a two plots of land, with beds, and other hospital wares in place.

    According to Alaran, other major equipments which are to be installed are being expected from foundation which has given its nod  to uplift the clinic to a major resource centre in the country.

    A cross section of the community was ever grateful to the chairman for detecting the cause of illness and deaths and for constructing a Centre for the treatment of the contagious disease in the community.

    Though there is no data that could accurately give the number of those infected by the disease, but it was learnt that there was a staggering figure of victims in the community who suffer from the pangs of the disease.

    The elated Caretaker Chairman, who expressed optimism that the TB centre would be a turning point for residents of the area related how the disease was discovered “It was in the course of diagnosing that we discovered that a lot of people are going about with the disease, and we have as a result ascertained that that (TB) is what we are battling with.

    “So many people not only in Iseyin, are having the disease, but are unaware that they have Tuberculosis. But once with the help of our medical personnel we were able to discover the disease on time then we knew where to start the fight from.

    “You know Iseyin is made up of people that are permanently resident here and people who are here to do their business. The number of Fulani Bororo in our midst is high, there was a day I was at that clinic, I met ten Fulani with that disease.

    “They are all suffering from that disease and this is possible because they are all wanderers. They move from one place to another very often.

    “The fact that we discovered cases of Tuberculosis here, does not mean that Iseyin is a Tuberculosis infected Local Government, but  that our medical officers were able to detect this on time .

    “Tuberculosis is everywhere and what is dangerous is not being able to detect the disease on time. And that is why I said we decided to put up the centre because we are expecting a lot of other supporters, perhaps that will encourage the Damien Foundation to bring the state of the art equipment here from the global level and equip the place .

    “In fact, the clinic will become a resource centre not only for Iseyin, not only for Oyo State, but other states. Then, we are addressing an important health related issues.”

    Tuberculosis, according the local government boss, is a disease often difficult or impossible to cure without medical help, hence the need for experienced doctors and state of the art equipment to diagnose and cure the disease.

    While speaking glowingly  about his achievements in the last two and half years, in road construction, health, education, agriculture and skill acquisition, Alhaji Alaran expressed his determination to eradicate the deadly disease within a short time, adding that a healthy people is a wealthy people.

    “It is good we have people with insight put in position of authority,  that it will be good for the people. I want to say that we have been having local government administrators in the past, but this one will forever be remembered in the history of Iseyin Local Government because he went further to touch people’s lives, he saved lives by this modest achievement in the area of health,” a resident of Iseyin, Alhaji Isiaka Abdulfatai said.

    A medical expert, Dr. Areola Adekola, who spoke on the disease classified TB into different types, including TB of the lungs, skin or lymph nodes, describing Tuberculosis of the lungs as very contagious.

    “Tuberculosis of the lungs is a chronic, contagious disease that anyone can get. But it most often strikes people between 15 -35 years of age, especially those who are weak, poorly nourished or those who stay with someone who has the disease.

    “Most frequent symptom or signs of TB are chronic cough, especially just after getting up from the bed, and in serious or advanced cases, coughing up blood.  It comes with mild fever in the afternoon and sweating at night.

    “There may be pain in the chest or upper back, and chronic loss of weight and increasing weakness. Again, a person with black skin tends to become lighter in complexion,” Dr. Adekola said.

    While admitting that TB of the lungs can also affect any part of the body, the physician advised if any of the signs given above was noticed, “then take the person to the health centre specially designated for the disease at once for confirmation of the disease by tuberculin testing, sputum or chest X-ray.”

  • How to check tuberculosis

    Mr Adetoun (not real name) and his three children have tuberculosis. He was the first to contract the disease followed by his children. One of them died of multi-drug resistance tuberculosis; another is undergoing treatment/medication for tuberculosis. The father and the last child are battling with multi-drug resistance tuberculosis.

    They are undergoing treatment in a tertiary hospital in Lagos and have been on admission for about two months now. They spend about N30,000 weekly for treatment.

    The ill-health of the family got the attention of the Respiratory Unit, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), which organised a programme on the upsurge of multi drug resistance tuberculosis.

    The programme was organised in conjunction with Save Lives Initiative, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), and sponsored by Prime Atlantic and Goldlink Insurance Plc.

    According to the Project Director, the Save Lives Initiative and Senior Register, Medical Micro Biology, Respiratory Unit, LUTH, Dr Ochang Ernest, tuberculosis affects about one third of the world’s population and kills about 1.7 million people yearly. He said Nigeria was among the 20 countries with the highest disease burden.

    Ernest said tuberculosis is a treatable disease. But he noted that most cases of tuberculosis are still not diagnosed because of the inadequacy of the diagnostic test routinely used in Nigeria – smear microscopy.

    He added that the unfortunate thing compounding the situation of tuberculosis is the wide spread emergence of MDR – TB whose prevalence in Nigeria is 12.5 per cent of all TB cases.

    “These strains can only be detected by culture and drug susceptibility testing. Drug susceptibility testing allows the TB strain carried by a patient to be tested in the laboratory with the antibiotics that are intended to treat the patient”.

    A Consultant, Head, Respiratory Diseases Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, LUTH, Dr Cyril Chukwu, said tuberculosis is spread by micro-organisms in the air.

    He said tuberculosis can affect anybody irrespective of age, gender or status. He said the disease is transmitted by inhaling tuberculosis micro-organisms from the carriers; through cough, sneezing, singing, crying or talking.

    Chukwu said that there are no specific ways to prevent tuberculosis because the micro-organisms are in the air. He noted that coughing, coughing out blood, fever, weight loss or loss of appetite are some symptoms of tuberculosis.

    The Consultant said tuberculosis can lead to multi drug resistance tuberculosis if not properly treated at its early stage. “The multi drug resistance tuberculosis can lead to death,” Chukwu said.

    In a similar view, a consultant in the Respiratory Unit, LUTH, Mrs Dania Michelei, dentified cost and ignorance as factors that hinder tuberculosis patients from getting proper treatment.

     

  • Nigeria to achieve global commitments on HIV/AIDS – Jonathan

    Nigeria to achieve global commitments on HIV/AIDS – Jonathan

    Nigeria’s Comprehensive Response Plan for HIV/AIDS presents a unique opportunity to put her back on track towards achieving global commitments, President Goodluck Jonathan said on Tuesday.

    The President made this statement during the AIDS Watch Africa Champions Breakfast Meeting in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the breakfast was on the fifth day of the Abuja +12 Special Summit of the African Union on HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    According to the President, Nigeria’s commitment in the past decade was to halt and reverse HIV and AIDS in the country.

    He said that through local and international partners, the nation had succeeded in significantly impacting the disease.

    He, however, noted that the overall gaps in access to HIV and AIDS service still remained a great challenge, particularly for Nigeria, which according to a 2012 report has the world’s second highest burden.

    “Of the estimated 3.4 million people living with HIV in the country, only 491,021 HIV positive persons are accessing Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

    “Furthermore 1.6 million people are eligible for ART, meaning that an estimated 30 per cent of the HIV populace are in need.’’

    Jonathan said the country regarded the statistics as a wake- up call for rededication.

    He said rededication was the reason behind the development of the President’s Comprehensive Response Plan (PCRP) for HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, which was unveiled on Monday.

     

  • Experts call for end to Tuberculosis

    Medical experts have said Tuberculosis (TB) is curable and its treatment is free in most government hospitals across Nigeria.

    They spoke yesterday at this year’s World Tuberculosis Day, organised by the Nigeria Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos, and Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS).

    The theme of the commemoration was: Stop TB in My Life Time.

    The experts, including the former Director General of NIMR, Prof Oni Idigbe, said TB is a public health concern which everybody should prevent and get the treatment for.

    Prof Idigbe, a frontline researcher whose works serve as reference points to the disease, noted that people need to be aware of the possibility of cure so that the problem of drug resistance can abate.

    NIMR’s Director-General Prof Innocent Ujah said Tuberculosis is a major and escalating public health problem as evidenced by its high incidence and association with the Human-Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV).

    He called attention to the increasing incidence of multi-drug resistance of mycobacterium tuberculosis to the traditional anti-bacterial drugs.

    According to him, such drugs are cheap and, therefore, affordable.

    The academic explained that prevention and control of TB are achievable in a life time through awareness creation and tests.

    Ujah said Nigeria shares the vision of a Tuberculosis-free world by reducing its incidence through the introduction and expansion of the Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) to enhance compliance to the treatment protocol, the control of Multi-Drug Resistance TB and integrated HIV/TB care.

    JAAIDS Executive Director Olayide Akanni said there is need for more attention to TB.

    “Most people are not aware that the disease exists; even the few people who know about it are ignorant, believing it is a demonic or witchcraft attack. It is good to go for proper tests early, and getting the required treatment for TB is crucial to stop the epidemic in our life time,” he said.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris said efforts by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to halt and reverse TB epidemic by 2015 has been achieved in the state.

    Idris added: “As new cases of TB are declining, its mortality rate has decreased by 41 percent and the world’s target to achieve 50 percent reduction by 2015 would be achieved.”

    The Commissioner who was represented by Dr Omowumi Bakare said, “the Lagos State TB Control Programme has 215 Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) centers and 55 TB microscopy centres which are all over the local government areas in the state and can be found in all levels of health care and in all types of health facilities. The target of the DOTS centres which is only about 25 percent aims to reach 85 percent.”

    Dr Dan Onwujekwe, Clinical services, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research said a National TB control programme that are challenged with a high burden should adopt innovative ways to reach more patients with affective treatment, adding that a well managed once a week health worker observation of treatment, backed by strong laboratory component, can produce cure rates as high as DOTs.