500,000 Lives in Nigeria Claimed Annually By TB

As the world prepares to commemorate the 2023 World Tuberculosis Day, Dr. Cynthia Onwuteaka, a Senior Programme Officer with KNCV Nigeria, has said TB is now the world’s second deadliest disease after COVID-19.

According to her, the disease claims 500,000 lives, yearly.

She, however, said all hope was not lost towards checkmating the infection with innovations in the field of medical sciences.

While describing tuberculosis as an infectious disease, which can be contacted via air, she noted with delight that the new oral regimen would help to narrow the gap in the treatment of TB in Nigeria.

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She said: “The prevalence rate for TB is 219 for every 100,000 persons. If you check that with the population of Nigeria of about 200 million people, we should be looking at the range of 500,000 casualty figures per annum.”

She called on Nigerians to guard against the infection, which could also be contracted through coughing and sneezing from an infected person.

Onwuteaka acknowledged the role government plays to address reported cases of TB in Nigeria, but said there’s always room for improvement.

She states that the significance of the 2023 World Tuberculosis Day with the theme, “Yes, We Can”, cannot be overemphasized, adding that it would afford stakeholders the opportunity to create awareness on how more people can access the much-needed care.