By Sade Oguntola
THE Oyo State Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Programme says that it recorded 11, 934 Tuberculosis (TB) cases, out of a total presumptive figure of 136,222 cases in the year 2022.
The State’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control unit, Mrs Abimbola Oyebamiji, who made this known at a 4-day review meeting and planning of Co-produced USAIDS Breakthrough Action Nigeria Programmes in Ibadan, said among the 11,743 individuals placed on TB treatment in 2022, 589 were children.
Mrs Oyebamiji said about 20 per cent of those diagnosed with TB were also living with HIV while 244 persons were diagnosed with drug-resistant TB (DR TB), which occurs when the tuberculosis bug becomes resistant to the drugs used to treat TB.
According to her, “cases of TB diagnosed were highest in Ibadan South West Local government area and lowest in Iwajowa local government area. The 5 LGAs in Ibadan, Ogbomoso North and Oyo East are the ones with the highest diagnosis of TB because of their population, slums and presence of secondary and tertiary health institutions to seek treatment.”
She stated that the programme has expanded its services in the state to 732 Primary Health Care facilities, 37 secondary healthcare facilities and 613 private health facilities, with 659 Directly Observed treatment (DOTS) facilities across the state dispensing medications for free to persons on treatment for TB.
Mrs Oyebamiji said gaps however still exist in the state’s Tuberculosis programme.
“we are far from achieving our targets of diagnosing 17,597. Our current achievement is 11743. We are still missing cases because of Nigeria’s poor health-seeking behaviour and knowledge about TB. The missing cases are in private facilities, at home, prisons and in parallel health care systems like the patent medicine vendors, TBAs and community pharmacies,” she stated.
While TB is curable and treatment is free, she said challenges against TB control in the state include people’s poor health-seeking behaviour, myths and misconceptions about TB, belief in traditional and orthodox medicines, poverty, poor family support system and poor adherence to TB treatment.
