News Editor
From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi
The Benue State Government said it has treated a total of 1,939 patients for all forms of TB in three months.
State Programme Manager, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Program, Dr. Kaior Akaangee, disclosed this while speaking to newsmen in Makurdi saying the treatment was as a result of a conscious implementation of Tuberculosis (TB) programme in the state.
Akaangee who gave an overview of TB program implementation in the state and the policies around TB activities, said the patients were treated and discharged between April 1 to June 30, 2024 as no mortality was recorded.
He said the state government has done so much in TB case finding and treatment explaining that “Active TB case finding through the state TB and Leprosy control program and DOTs services commenced in 2001 in Local Government Area, (LGAs) including Gwer East, Otukpo, Logo and Ohimini and 162 cases were
diagnosed and placed on treatment.
“Currently, TB active case finding and treatment is obtainable in all the 23 LGAs. As at June 30th, they are 1939 patients on treatment for all forms of TB.
“This number is the validated number of clients and active cases that were placed on treatment and not those diagnosed. Because of the robust strategies that has been in place, we always identify them early and as at June 30, no mortality was recorded in the state.”
The TB program manager urged the public to seek medical attention bor report suspected TB cases to the nearest clinic, informing that there is a treatment centre for drug-resistant TB cases at St. Vincent Hospital Aliade.
He also stated that those with latent TB and close contacts are placed on Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment, (TPT).
He noted that state government adopted several strategies in TB case finding by checking public and private places especially in communities and in key populations like IDPs, correction centres, HIV infected clients, nomads among others.
He said the program is challenged by inadequate funding, ineffective monitoring, inadequate reporting, low case finding in children, resurgence of HIV, low stakeholder involvement and ineffective stakeholder collaboration saying all hands need to be on deck as much has been done in active case finding and treatment and more needs to be done to eliminate the disease in the state.
Akaangee appreciate Governor Hyacinth Alia for the huge budgetary allocation to TB program expressing confidence that the timely release of the funding and capacity building of health workers will go a long way to achieve targets of TB implementation in the state.
He further commended Lawyers Alert, an NGO, for launching Gender Equality Fund project to advance community rights and end gender barriers in the treatment of TB, HIV and Malaria in Benue and Nigeria at large, stating that partnership is the way to go for effective implementation of the program in the state.
He also said that laws tailored towards TB are needed to protect survivors and their right to life.
