The Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Kaltume Ahmed said on Thursday that the state recorded 32,297 Tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2023.
Speaking at a press conference in commemoration of the World Tuberculosis Day in Kaduna on March 28, 2024, the Commissioner disclosed that the number of detected Tuberculosis cases surged in 2023, having jumped from 21,557 cases in 2022 to 32,297.
“This represents an increase of 49.8 per cent compared to 2022. This case detection rate represents 159 per cent of the state TB case detection target,” she said.
The Commissioner stated that the development shows a significant improvement in case finding compared to the 53 percent achieved in 2022. This reflects the enhanced support the State TB programme receives from both the State Government and development partners.
She emphasised that Tuberculosis, as one of the world’s deadliest diseases, accounts for over 4,100 deaths every day.
Her words:
“Each Day, over 4,100 people lose their lives to TB, and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
“Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since 2000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.
“This conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve global leaders’ commitments to end TB.
“This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage. She added that more investment will save millions more lives, accelerating the end of the Tuberculosis epidemic.
“We must continue to remind ourselves of the dreaded effect of Tuberculosis, which continues to cause untold morbidity and mortality among our populace. World TB Day provides a unique opportunity for continuous sensitisation of Tuberculosis. She said the state has scaled up the number of facilities providing TB services to 78 per cent coverage.
“We will continue supporting this until every facility in the State provides TB services. She also said the State’s treatment success rate is about 98.4 per cent indicating that the diagnosed cases of TB were managed successfully,” she assured.
“The fight against TB is a collective one. I call on all well-meaning residents of Kaduna State and public and private organisations to join the Kaduna State Government in investing in ending TB and saving lives.
“I also call on everyone to use the opportunity and get tested when coughing for two or more weeks.be rest assured that the disease is curable, and the diagnosis and treatment are free and readily available in the state.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently reported that nearly 2.5 million people fell sick and 424,000 people died from Tuberculosis in the African region alone in 2022.
The report also highlighted that 70% of Tuberculosis (TB) cases in the African region are currently being diagnosed and treated, representing the highest case-detection rate ever recorded in the region.