To mark the 2023 Childhood Tuberculosis National Testing Week, the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has provided free integrated health screening in schools, orphanages, destitute homes and correctional centers in Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Lagos States.
The awareness and screening activity was held in communities as well as immunization and nutrition clinics in both public and private health facilities. More than 40,000 children were screened, out of which 105 children with tuberculosis were identified and linked to care.
IHVN Chief of Party, USAID TB-LON 3 project, Dr. Aderonke Agbaje, said that the focus on children during the testing week is because, “Children are change agents and should be engaged in the fight against tuberculosis.”
In preparation for the week, the Institute had partnered with Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria to educate health reporters about tuberculosis and the need for improved awareness about the disease.
Low index of suspicion amongst mothers and child caregivers remains a major risk factor to the diagnosis and treatment of childhood TB. The TB-LON 3 School Health Club launch is one of the Institute’s responses to increase TB awareness amongst this cohort. Students, teachers and parents were decorated as TB ambassadors and charged with a duty to further drive the message of TB to their families and in the community at large.
The USAID TB-LON 3 project is a five-year project being implemented by IHVN with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. The goal of the Project is to innovatively engage all stakeholders in finding missing Tuberculosis (TB) cases by rapidly scaling up tuberculosis services, whilst strengthening resilient and sustainable systems for tuberculosis control.
