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In line with the theme of the 2024 World Tuberculosis Day, “Yes! We can end TB and slogan: No gree for TB! Check Am O,” Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has sensitized the public about tuberculosis and efforts to address the disease in the country.

During a pre-World TB Day ministerial press briefing to commemorate the day, IHVN Senior Manager, Dr Temitope Adetiba stated that in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Program (NTBLCP), and other partners, IHVN has notified over 200,000 people affected by tuberculosis across 31 states.

“Not all Nigerians have access to tuberculosis services, and this gave rise to our foray into the private sector because data shows that more than 60% of Nigerians access health care first in the private sector. We engaged with patent medicine vendors, community pharmacists, and traditional healers, and can reach more Nigerians,” he said.

He added that the new phase of the Global Fund grant in Nigeria involves scaling up tuberculosis services to all states of the federation.

“I am happy that the members of the press here can take this message out there, that people in the community can go to the nearest patent medicine vendor, traditional birth attendants for tuberculosis services. We have trained these people across the country to be able to provide quality assured tuberculosis services.

Also, through the support of the Global Fund, we have optimized the Gene Xpert platforms. To be able to conduct tests round the clock, they have been equipped with solar panels, batteries and inverter systems so that whenever tuberculosis specimens are sent for test, the results can be available within 24 hours,” he added. 

IHVN also participated in road walks in Abuja and Lagos to create awareness about the disease. In Abuja, the walk was from Garki Ultra-Modern Market to Garki Old Market while in Lagos State, the walk held in Ikeja – from the Ministry of Health to the House of Assembly and Shoprite.

Every year, the world commemorates World Tuberculosis Day on March 24th to raise awareness about tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease

Every year, the world commemorates World Tuberculosis Day on March 24^th to raise awareness about tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease. The global theme for this year’s activities is “Yes We Can End TB” with the national theme being, “Yes We Can End TB…No Gree for TB.”

Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) will be joining the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Program (NTBLCP) and other organizations for community outreaches, a road walk, press briefings, amongst other activities.

IHVN Director of Programs, Special Projects, Dr. Aderonke Agbaje, states that “219 out of every 100,000 Nigerians have tuberculosis and each person with tuberculosis could infect 12-14 close contacts in a year.”

Dr. Agbaje called on Nigerians to take advantage of the free tuberculosis services available at health facilities and through community outreaches.

“Nigerians should pay attention to the information being provided about their health. Walk to the nearest health facility, State Ministry of Health, or local government health service provider to seek information and to be properly directed to where they can get tuberculosis services,” she said.

To address tuberculosis in Nigeria, IHVN implements the USAID/Nigeria Tuberculosis Local Organization Network (TB-LON 3), a five-year project to scale up tuberculosis services and find missing TB cases. It started in April 2020 and is engaging stakeholders to strengthen a resilient system for sustainable TB control in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun states.

IHVN is also funded by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria as a Principal Recipient to implement the Grant Cycle 7 (GC7) grant. The grant is a combined effort for tuberculosis (TB) and HIV and is focused on ensuring early diagnosis of TB and HIV while providing comprehensive care for affected individuals. The grant, which runs from January 2024 to December 2026, will increase the provision of tuberculosis services in the community and through public-private partnerships. Other grant objectives include expanding HIV testing for all pregnant women in communities and strengthening laboratories and supply chain management.

Findings from the Ensuring Quality Access and Learning for Mothers and Newborns in Conflict-Affected Contexts (EQUAL) project being implemented by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) have shown that gender, cultural, and religious beliefs affect care seeking for mothers and their babies.

EQUAL Principal Investigator in Nigeria, Dr. Emilia Iwu stated this at an event in Abuja organized by the project to disseminate research findings from key informant interviews and literature reviews.

“EQUAL project is funded by the UK International Development from the UK Government. The research is working to generate evidence on effective approaches for delivering life-saving maternal and newborn health (MNH) in countries affected by conflict. The duration of the project being conducted in Yobe State is from July 2021 to April 2026,” she said.

She added that findings have revealed that women encounter violence, sexual abuse, and limited healthcare access resulting in preventable maternal deaths and psychological stress.

“While MNH services are generally accepted, cultural norms such as women requiring spousal permission to access medical care and the religious beliefs that home births are divinely sanctioned hinder the timely seeking of maternal and newborn health services,” Dr. Iwu said.   

She noted that despite existing maternal newborn health policies and initiatives in Yobe State, persistent challenges such as inadequate funding, equipment and health workers hinder effective implementation of the policies.

Dr. Iwu urged the government and partners to increase funding dedicated to free medical care to address inadequate financing and capped number of beneficiaries.

“Boko Haram insurgency in Yobe State has disrupted MNH services. There has been destruction of health care facilities, theft of medical equipment, displacement of staff, heightened risks of abduction and murder of health care workers.”

The Principal Investigator said that addressing determinants of care seeking through investments in the health system, creation of awareness, social behavior change and improved quality and coverage of care will improve access to health services by women and children.

Assistant Director of Education at the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Mr. Tinbuak Yanai, who was also at the dissemination event, said that “Proper training and scaling up of training of health care workers will improve the health of mothers and newborn babies in Yobe state.”

Stakeholders from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), USAID, Integrated Health Program (IHP) and others participated in the dissemination event.

The EQUAL consortium consists of partners such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), the John Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Somali Research and Development Institute (SORDI), and the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB).