The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja stated that Nigeria was among 22 high burden countries that contributed 80 percent of the estimated 8.7 million new Tuberculosis cases globally in 2012.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, stated this during the commemoration of the 2013 World TB Day.
He said, "A total of 190,000 new TB cases were estimated in the country in 2011, out of which 27,000 persons died."
The minister also lamented that the burden of TB in Nigeria was further made worse by challenges of HIV co-infection, drug-resistant TB and TB among children.
Chukwu said, "The number of TB cases notified in the country has been on the increase over the years with about 97,799 TB cases notified in 2012. 81,156 of these cases (83 per cent) were tested for HIV with positivity rate of 26 per cent."
The minister, however, reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to providing substantial human and financial resources to control TB in Nigeria and "forge new, strong partnerships to implement innovative strategies for the control of TB."
While calling on individuals and families to contribute to the fight against TB, Chukwu said, "You can contribute to TB control efforts by identifying and encouraging anyone who has cough of more than two weeks duration to go for TB screening and supporting those on TB treatment to complete their full course of treatment which normally lasts six months."
He noted that in an effort to improve quality of care of TB patients in the country, about 83 per cent of the patients were screened for HIV in 2012.
He, however, regretted that, "one case of extremely Drug resistant TB case has been diagnosed in Nigeria."
He said, "It is a wake-up call for all of us to do all we can to prevent the spread of TB. For the first time since the onset of MDR-TB, the Federal Executive Council approved funds for the purchase of second line drugs for 500 drug resistant TB patients in Nigeria in the total sum of N297,872,488.00 (Two Hundred and Ninety Seven Million, Eight Hundred Seventy Two Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty Eight Naira) only in 2012."
Also speaking, a representative of the US Centre for Disease Control in Nigeria, said that the American government would continue to support Nigeria in its effort to eradicate TB.
