The Rivers State Ministry of Health has disclosed that 12,500 persons had been diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis in the last two years in the state.
It also revealed that an estimated 9,000 persons living with tuberculosis are missing from communities in the state.
Speaking at an event to mark the 2022 World Tuberculosis Day, tagged: ‘Invest to End TB, Save Lives’ in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Ndidi Utchay, said its target is to end the disease by 2030.
Utchay noted that last year, over 800 persons made up of mainly youths, were diagnosed and treated for the disease.
According to her, “In the last two years, we diagnosed and treated over 12,500 persons affected with tuberculosis in the state. The year 2021 was quite eventful, with over 8,000 persons diagnosed and treated.
“Fortunately, tuberculosis is curable and is among the diseases marked for eradication by the World Health Organisation. In Rivers State, the end TB strategy continues to guide our resolve to eliminate the ailment before the year 2030 with a focus on the three pillars of integrated patient-centred care and prevention, bold policies and supportive systems, and intensified research and innovation.
“Our determination to end TB informed the expansion of diagnostic service points from 12 rapid diagnostic machines (Genexpet) to 17 machines with a new 16-module genexpert diagnostic machine recently installed at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital a2 DOTS centres and 121 microscopy sites for monitoring of treatment.
“With the support of our partners, we have introduced new diagnostic equipment such as the TB Lamp, Trunat, and LF Lamp to ensure that our people have access to TB diagnostic and treatment services, which have been and will continue to be free-of-charge.
“The decision to organise corporate stakeholders in achieving the elimination of TB was premised on the remarkable success in TB case notification of over 8,000 TB infected persons diagnosed and treated.”
