• Thursday, March 28, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

‘Nigeria ranked 4th out of 30 countries with high prevalence of tuberculosis’

Tuberculosis

Mohammed Abdulrasheed, the Kwara State program Manager, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control has disclosed that Nigeria, among the 30 countries with high burden of tuberculosis ranked forth and second in Africa.

Abdulrasheed, who stated this in Ilorin, noted that “It is worrisome Nigeria is ranking high. Before, it was South Africa but now, Nigeria is having higher prevalence.

“From the research, one infected person with tuberculosis has the probably of spreading it to another 15 to 20 people around him.”

He however, warned people to stay away from any person suffering from the disease and enjoined the victims to visit both private and public hospitals for the treatment of the disease free of charge.

According to him, tuberculosis is airborne disease which spread by droplet infection. A communicable and chronic disease that if one contact it today, he might not know because it takes time for it to show.

It is not hereditary but can be transmitted from mother to child through inhalation.

He identified weight loss, fever, loss of appetite, chest pain, unresolved cough, productive of scrotum, blood spill as symptoms of tuberculosis.

Abdulrasheed further explained that “if somebody has tuberculosis, he would cough out, as he is coughing some of bacteria are released in to the air and this can spread in the air and anybody that inhales those particles from the air is likely to come down with TB.

“Also, if a scrotum from an infected person was spitted wrongly on the table, another person come in contact with it, it will affect that person.”

Other means of spreading tuberculosis is usually in a closed environment where there is convection or poor housing.

The program Manager expressed concern over the unwillingness of people to present themselves for adequate treatment of TB saying: “it is painful to realised that since we started the program in Kwara State in 2003, our people are still not aware that Tuberculosis treatment is free since that time. Diagnosis, treatment is free and is free everywhere in the state and the country at large.”

With this year’s theme,”It’s Time” for action to end TB, Abdulrasheed opined that if we don’t take action; it will continue to ravage.

He added that people need to stay aware, if not, everybody will just be contacting TB because “TB anywhere is TB everywhere”. “it is only when those that are affected are treated that we can get rid of the disease”.

He said anybody coughing for two weeks or more should go to the hospital to seek for test and treatment if positive.

While asserting that TB is curable, he enjoined people to always visit clinic to receive proper care instead of staying at home and treating it locally, cited Zobi specialist hospital, a centre in Ilorin, which has a designated Tuberculosis centre.

He said: “in Tuberculosis, we have drugs resistance TB. In Zobi specialist hospital, patient can get diagnosed, if he has resistance TB, there are facilities for adequate attention from tests to treatment and even admitting the patient – all for free with provision of feeding.”

Abdulrasheed, therefore recommended collaborative effort from every stalk holder involved. “If we all work together; we can end TB this year,” he said.

 

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin