2025 World Tuberculosis Day: Ogun First Lady Calls for Private Sector Collaboration

Tuberculosis is one of the major causes of death as an epidemic in Nigeria requiring the attention of all stakeholders to stem its tide in the society.

Ogun First Lady, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun in a release to mark the
Year 2025 World Tuberculosis Day observes that Nigeria is classified as a high TB prevalent country as an airborne disease with no gender discrimination or respect for
social status.

Mrs. Abiodun in the release states that the Ogun state government had taken drastic measures to mitigate the prevalence of TB in the state by equipping every health facility with free TB services, in consideration of the less privileged in the society, noting that those with low
socio-economic status are more vulnerable to the disease.

The release states that the theme for this year’s World TB Day, “Yes! We can end TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver” was aimed at drawing attention to the urgent need to act, by ensuring equitable and people centered TB response and increased
access to prevention and treatment, reduce stigma and discrimination as well as to build
accountability.

The release states that Ogun State has been quite innovative in this regard by increasing
access to TB treatment but emphasises collaboration with private sectors by engaging
Private Health Practitioners, Patent Medicine Vendors and Community Pharmacists.

According to the release, Ogun State now has over 600 DOTS sites for TB services across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state through network of 16 Gene Xpert machines sites and over seventy microscopy sites spread across the state while TB diagnosis has
remained free to patients.

The disease, according to her has the young and the old falling victim to it but
it is curable adding that a large percentage of cases had been successfully treated.

The release enjoins anyone with cough lasting 2 weeks or more to present himself or
herself to health facilities for free tests and treatment as an untreated TB case will infect 20 new persons, suggesting that all persons living with or in close contact with a TB patient must be screened.

Health workers as key stakeholders are enjoined to be more painstaking in the
discharge of their duties and obtain information about patients’ history
of cough, make effective use of modern diagnostic services provided by Gene Xpert
Machines to ensure diagnosis in general.

Religious leaders are equally advised to be part of the crusade against TB by encouraging
their followers to visit health facilities in suspected cases not leaving out the media organizations whose roles are to disseminate TB messages to the general public.

Kemi Oyeleye,
Press Officer,
Office of the Ogun First Lady.