The Kaduna State Government has gotten better at finding and stopping the spread of tuberculosis. The declaration is that 32,297 cases were found in 2023 in the state.
Umma Kaltume-Ahmed, the state Commissioner for Health, shared this information at a press conference to mark the 2024 Tuberculosis Day in Kaduna on Thursday.
She mentioned that the number of tuberculosis cases found in the state went up from 21,557 cases in 2022 to 32,297 in 2023.
“This is a 49.8 percent increase compared to 2022. This detection rate represents 159 percent of the state TB detection goal,” she added.
The commissioner mentioned that this shows a significant improvement in finding cases compared to the 53 percent found in 2022.
She added that this reflects the better support the state’s TB program gets from the state government and partners.
The commissioner said the 2024 World TB Day theme is ‘Yes, We Can End TB,’ with the slogan, ‘No Gree For TB, Check Am O,’ and follows the commitment made by Global leaders at the 2020 United Nations high-level meeting on TB in New York to support the goal to end the TB epidemic by 2030 by supporting the scale-up of TB access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, sustainable financing, research, and ending stigma and discrimination against people affected by TB.
However, she noted that tuberculosis is still one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers, adding that “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.”
“Efforts to fight TB globally have saved around 66 million lives since 2000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress in ending TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.
“This emphasizes the urgent need to invest resources to step up the fight against TB and meet global leaders’ goals to end TB.
“This is particularly important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure fair access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s push for achieving Universal Health Coverage,” the commissioner explained.
She added that more investments would save millions of lives and speed up the end of the Tuberculosis epidemic.
“We must continue to remind ourselves of the terrible effect of Tuberculosis, which continues to cause great sickness and death among our people.
“World TB Day gives a special chance for ongoing awareness of Tuberculosis. She said the state has increased the number of facilities offering TB services to cover 78 percent.
“We will keep supporting this until every facility in the state offers TB services. She also said the State’s successful treatment rate is about 98.4 percent, showing that the diagnosed TB cases were managed successfully,” she said.
Continuing, the Commissioner also said, “The fight against TB involves everyone. I urge all caring residents of Kaduna State and public and private organizations to join the Kaduna State Government in investing in ending TB and saving lives.
“I urge everyone to take advantage of the opportunity and get tested if they have been coughing for two weeks or more. Rest assured that the illness can be treated, and the diagnosis and treatment are available for free in the state.”
