By Kamsi Anayo
Anambra state government has detected 8000 tuberculosis cases so far in the state.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, made the revelation in Awka during the commemoration of the 2023 World Tuberculosis Day Celebration.
This year’s World TB celebration is “Yes, We Can End TB. Get Involved”
He said the revealed figure was against the targeted more than 13000 TB cases in the state.
According to him, the current administration in the state has remained focused in making sure that TB programme is given all the necessary support in order to end it.
He said that the day event provided the opportunity to raise public awareness on the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
Dr. Ugochukwu Chukwulobelu, the State Tuberculosis Programme Manager and Director Medical Services, said that the current treatment for all forms of TB is free.
He noted that there are more than 800 health facilities that offer tuberculosis treatment in the state.
Tuberculosis is a communicable disease which has been present in humans since ancient times and usually caused by the bacterium mycobacterium tuberculosis and it generally affects the lungs known as pulmonary TB and can also affect other parts of the body.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), TB has remained one of the deadliest infectious killers.
Statistics revealed that each day, over four thousand one hundred people lose their lives to TB, and close to twenty-eight thousand people fall ill with the disease.
In 2022, 9.9 people fell ill with tuberculosis with 1.5 million deaths
About half of all the people with tuberculosis can be found in eight countries namely Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa.
