From Ali Muhammad Rabiu
Government at all levels has been urged to give Tuberculosis (TB) same attention as COVID-19 to stem its increasing spread among Nigerians.
Director of National TB and Leprosy Control Prorgramme, Mrs Ukot Itohowo stated this while speaking at a one-day sensitization programme on TB eradication for selected journalists in Kwara and Zamfara states, tagged, Agenda for Media Orientation on TB held in Ilorin.
According to her, the WHO global report had showed that TB kills 18 Nigerians every hour, adding that 157,000 persons died of TB in 2019 alone.
Mrs Itohowo said despite the alarming death rate from TB, people are not well informed about its implications .
She explained that if the same energy given to COVID-19 awareness was put to TB awareness campaign , there will be drastic reduction in its spread.
The Director noted that TB is an airborne disease that is caused by microbacterium, and it affects not only the lungs but every part of the body.