The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, has revealed that 15,000 residents have been diagnosed with tuberculosis this year.
However, statistics suggest that 32,000 Lagosians are living with the disease, leaving 17,000 undetected.
Abayomi revealed this on Tuesday during the investiture of the Champions and Ambassadors of the Lagos Steering Committee for Tuberculosis, headed by the wife of the Lagos Governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.
Abayomi said: “According to the statistics we received from the federal government, there should be 32,000 Lagosians with tuberculosis that we need to diagnose. We have only been able to diagnose about 15,000 this year if we add up all our numbers.
“Ladies, that means there are 17,000 people in Lagos right now, walking and living with tuberculosis who have not been diagnosed. That's the first point I want you to understand; that there are people who live with us in the community who have active tuberculosis that we have not diagnosed.”
Situation in Nigeria
In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Nigeria has the highest tuberculosis burden in Africa.
He said with 268 people losing their lives every day, tuberculosis cases are underreported, increasing the high risk of transmission. It is estimated that an undetected case can transmit tuberculosis to 15 people in a year.
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“The gap in case detection occurs mainly among children, due to the fact that some health workers at the facility and community levels are not sufficiently trained to detect childhood tuberculosis, as well as a lack of awareness among families and communities. communities. “Tuberculosis services are also not fully integrated into regular child health services, such as nutrition and immunization programs,” he noted.
According to provisional data, more than 361,000 cases of tuberculosis were reported in Nigeria in 2023, 9 percent of them in children, representing a 26 percent increase in the number of cases compared to 2022.
Champions to combat tuberculosis
Local government chairpersons and wives of presidents were decorated as advocates and ambassadors for the fight against tuberculosis in Lagos State.
“And those are the 15,000 that the First Lady is ordering you to find and take to the treatment facilities, which as you have heard is completely free,” the health commissioner told the ambassadors.
Speaking, Mrs. Sanwo-Olu expressed delight at the final launch of the program after five years.
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She said: “I first became interested in 2019, it is 2024. We have been doing a lot of programs, but I have not been able to do the best job for the wives of local government presidents and female presidents. Honestly, I'm very happy. And all the glory and all the honor goes to God for making it possible,” he said.
For her part, the Deputy Director and Program Director of the Lagos State Tuberculosis Steering Committee, Cecilia Magbogunje, emphasized the importance of community participation, stating that the leadership of the wives of local government chairmen will create awareness, mobilize resources and promote a culture of health. .