Nigeria May Not Achieve 2030 Target Of Ending Tuberculosis

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has hinted that Nigeria may not likely achieve the 2030 target of ending Tuberculosis but will start seeing some decline in TB cases.

The UM agency While added that, if we do things right, there is a probability of achieving our target by 2035.

Speaking at a webinar on the topic: “Journey to End TB by 2030. How far are we”, the WHO Professional Officer on Tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria, Dr. Amos Omoniyi said there is the need to mobilize adequate local resources in combating the dreaded disease, saying, 70 percent of TB budget in 2021 was not funded.

According to him:” the number falling ill with TB incidence in 2020 are 452,000. (Meaning, one person every minute). TB incidence rate 2020 is 219 per 100,000 population.

TB death rate in 2020 is 75 per 100,000 population, while the number of deaths in 2020 is 156,000 (meaning one person every three minutes due to (TB).

“To end TB in Nigeria, we must implement data-driven evidence-based and technology-enhanced interventions as contained in the NSP/lesson learned. Mobilize adequate domestic resources and  70 percent of the TB budget in 2021 was not funded”.

More so, the Deputy Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership in Geneva, Dr. Sahu Suvanand, noted that globally $250 billion is needed annually to combat TB.

He, however, urged Nigeria to increase domestic funding through the budget.

Also,  Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike, the Director and National Coordinator, National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Program at the Federal Ministry of Health said WHO’s post-2015 End TB strategy was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2014  aimed to end the global TB epidemic as part of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals.

He said it serves as a blueprint for countries to reduce TB incidences by 80 percent, TB deaths by 90 percent and eliminate the catastrophic cost for TB-affected households by 2030. The strategy is not a “one size fits all” approach and its success depends on adaptation to the diverse country settings.

While profiling TB cases in Nigeria, Anyaike said, Nigeria ranked 6th among the high TB burden countries and first in Africa. The triple high burden for TB, TB/HIV and MDR-TB. The incidence of all forms of TB is 219/per 100,000 population ( More than 400,000 cases each year).

Nigeria is among the ten countries that accounted for 70 percent of the global gap and stands as a priority for ending TB in the world. 91 percent of TB patients in the country are affected by catastrophic costs.

Earlier in her address of welcome, the acting Chair of the Nigeria Stop TB Partnership, Dr. Queen Ogbuji-Oladipo said the webinar is for stakeholders to discuss and promote awareness to make sure that issues around TB are always on the news.

One of the TB survivors, Adebola Tope Adams said the government should declare a state of emergency on all forms of TB by employing both preventive and curative measures.

She also added that there is a need for the production of a TB vaccine.