Tuberculosis: Nigeria Recorded 50% Increase In Notifications In 2021
In 2021, Nigeria had recorded a 50 per cent increase in its annual tuberculosis case notifications with the numbers increasing from 138,591 cases in 2020 to 207,785. Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, had disclosed this in Abuja while launching the compendium of best practices for tuberculosis control in Nigeria.
The event was organized by the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) of the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) as well as other partners.
Dr. Ehanire stated that the implementation of innovative strategic interventions that was put in place by the TB programme managers, including the integration of TB control into COVID-19 response measures, had eventually led to a 15 per cent increase in the TB notification from 120,266 cases in 2019 to 138,591 in 2020.
“This made Nigeria one of the few countries in the world to record an increase in TB case notification during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.”
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However, he also added that despite the significant progress that was made in the past three years in the fight to end the TB epidemic in the country, there are still over 200,000 new TB infections that are occurring every year that are yet to be detected and enrolled in treatment.
Dr. Taofeekat Ali, the Programme manager, tuberculosis, of the IHVN, said that the private sector engagement for TB control, as spearheaded by IHVN, is one of the core best practices that has helped Nigeria in achieving an increase in case notification. in the last three years. She said that in 2021, the private sector case notification for TB had risen to over 58,000 (29 per cent of the national TB case notification) as compared to about 11, 000 which had represented 13 per cent in 2018.
She said that the other best practices that had led to increase in finding missing TB cases by IHVN are an investment in the use of modern and newer molecular diagnostic tools, use of stool samples for diagnosing TB in children, and expansion of electronic data management, amongst others.
According to Dr. Olugbenga Daniel, the IHVN Director Technical Programme USAID TB LON 3 Project, the programme, which is focused on finding missing TB cases in four South West states, had achieved an increased notification through facility-based intervention, by engaging screening officers to ensure that 100 per cent hospital attendees are screened. The states are Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Oyo.
He said that others also included community intervention, outreaches, contact tracing, TB diagnosis support, and laboratory support for optimal function.
