Director, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme, NTBLCP, Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, says private sector involvement and collaboration is needed to combat tuberculosis.
Dr Anyaike stated this during a road walk to commemorate the 2022 World TB Day in Abuja.
According to him, Nigeria ranked number one in Africa and number six in the whole world in the TB cases noting that if the disease burden was reduced in Nigeria, half of the burden in Africa would have been dealt with adding that there was a National Strategic Plan 2021-2025 which captures all the strategies that would be put in place to combat the disease.
On his part, the HIV and TB Practice Lead in the Society for Family Health, Mr Godpower Omoregie, said that children were also more likely to be left severely affected by TB, as they were more vulnerable to complex forms of the disease such as TB meningitis.
Mr Omoregie noted that TB affects the youngest and weakest children, adding that those living with HIV were particularly at risk, as were those suffering from malnutrition, common childhood infections and intestinal worms.
He called on state governments to invest more in TB to promote ownership and sustainability as well as close the funding gaps resulting from donor fatigue.