In a bid to combat tuberculosis (TB) nationwide, the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has forged partnerships with key funders, including the Global Fund against AIDS, TB and malaria, as well as USAID, to extend TB services, particularly targeting underserved communities.
Senior manager and TB lead of the Global Fund Project at IHVN, Dr. Temitope Adetiba revealed this during a pre-World TB Day press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Adetiba outlined IHVN’s strategic approach to bridging the gap in TB service access, emphasising the institute’s engagement with patent medicine vendors, community pharmacists, and traditional healers to expand TB service reach.
“Over the past five years, IHVN’s collaborative efforts with partners across 31 states have resulted in the notification of over 200,000 people affected by TB. Through innovative initiatives, such as training private sector healthcare providers and ensuring quality-assured TB services, IHVN has made significant strides in increasing TB diagnosis and treatment coverage across Nigeria,” Adetiba stated.
The ongoing Global Fund grant further scales up TB services nationwide, with a focus on enhancing access in every state of the federation. Additionally, IHVN’s USAID TB-LON 3 project, operating in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun states, underscores the commitment to extending TB prevention, care and treatment services to all Nigerians.
Adetiba highlighted the optimisation of TB diagnostics facilitated by collaboration with the National TB programme and support from the Global Fund. The utilisation of GeneXpert platforms, coupled with equipping facilities with solar panels, batteries and inverter systems, ensures uninterrupted testing capabilities, enabling prompt diagnosis and treatment initiation.
“IHVN remains steadfast in its resolve to combat TB and ensure a healthier future for all Nigerians through continued collaboration and innovative approaches,” Adetiba affirmed.
The national programme officer for TB at the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Amos Omoniyi echoed the severity of the TB crisis, emphasising its status as a leading infectious cause of death globally.
Omoniyi highlighted Nigeria’s significant contribution to the TB burden in Africa, with the country accounting for 19 per cent of reported cases in the region in 2022. Despite being curable, TB continues to claim lives in Nigeria, with one person succumbing to the disease every five minutes.
“TB remains a preventable and curable disease, yet Nigeria faces a 70 per cent funding gap in its efforts to tackle it. Increased investment at all levels of government is crucial to achieving our goal of eradicating TB by 2030,” Omoniyi stressed.
Experts at the event emphasised the urgent need for increased investment in TB to achieve Nigeria’s eradication goal by 2030. Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, poses a significant public health challenge globally, ranking among the top 10 causes of mortality worldwide.
Airborne transmission is the primary mode of TB spread, underscoring the importance of comprehensive prevention and treatment strategies to curb its prevalence. Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous nation, bears a considerable burden of the disease, necessitating concerted efforts to address the TB crisis nationwide.
