Nigeria Has Third Highest TB Cases Globally Says NACA

-


 

PHOTO: yourgenome.org
PHOTO: yourgenome.org

.22% of patients also have HIV . Low cost test could reduce death rate

As the World marks World Tuberculosis Day today, the National Agency for AIDS (NACA) yesterday released a worrisome information that Nigeria has the third highest tuberculosis (TB) burden in the world with 574,600 cases or 338 per 100,000 of the country’s 170 million population. About 22 per cent of the patients also have Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
In a statement ahead of the World TB Day today, NACA noted: “According to the current national statistics on HIV, an estimated 3.5 million persons are HIV positive, while close to one million are on treatment.
“So far, Nigeria occupies the unenviable global position in terms of the disease burden for both diseases. Nigeria is the second amongst the highest HIV-burdened countries in the world and the third among the highest TB-burdened globally. Added to this burden is the fact that of the number of cases identified with TB, 22 per cent were found to also have HIV as well, thus compounding the existing disease burden.”
Meanwhile, according to a new study published in The Lancet, a low cost, easy to use, urine test to diagnose TB among patients with HIV could help reduce the TB death rate
The World Health Organisation (WHO) lists Nigeria among the 20 countries with the highest absolute burden of disease, the others being Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Viet Nam.
In advance of the World TB Day, the WHO is calling on countries and partners to “Unite to End Tuberculosis.”
According to a statement by the WHO, “the call comes as we enter the era of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ending tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 is a target of the SDGs and the goal of the WHO End TB Strategy.
“That is an ambitious aim. While there has been significant progress in the fight against TB, with 43 million lives saved since 2000, the battle is only half-won.

Source: guardian.ng

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Healthy diet for the rainy season

-
Image
Along with the showers comes the risk of various diseases like food poisoning, diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera. Again, in rainy season, digestion is generally weak. Therefore, you should eat less. It is also essential to fast once a week or fortnight. People eat some incorrect food during this time and fall sick. To protect your health, follow this dietary guideline: •Avoid heavy, salty food, as it promotes water retention and bloating. It is better to have medium or low salt food •Eat foods which are drying in nature, the most popular being corn, and oats, among others. Eating watery foods like rice and watermelon creates swelling in the body •Maintain the general hygiene while eating out and definitely avoid roadside vendors, as very few people have the high immunity to handle the bacterial overload at such places •The milk is the better diet in this season. Drink butter milk, as it improves digestion. Oily food should be taken in less quantity •Eat li...
Read more

Managing lactose intolerance in children

-
A concerned mom shared her experience with other mothers about the likely causes of diarrhoea in children: “When my daughter was two months old, she started having diarrhoea. I let this go on for a couple of days and then took her to our family doctor. The doctor told me that she has gastroenteritis (infectious diarrhoea). I was given oral re-hydration solution and Flagyl syrup. After a couple of days, she still wasn’t any better and I was at my breaking point. So, I scheduled an appointment with another doctor in order to get a second opinion. The new doctor that I now call my daughter’s pediatrician said that she didn’t think that the baby has gastroenteritis. She said that she was likely to be lactose intolerant and had colic. She told us that when a baby is developing intolerance to cow’s milk, a symptom of that is diarrhoea. So, she advised us to change her baby formula, and, immediately, the diarrhoea stopped.” Lactose (milk) intolerance happens whe...
Read more

When fibroid co-exists with pregnancy

-
Image
                        Dr. Samuel Adebayo Uterine fibroid, also known as Leiomyoma, is a benign (non-cancerous) tumour of the uterus (womb). Fibroids are the most common benign tumours in females and they occur during the reproductive years. They occur in up to 50 per cent of women. The exact cause of this tumour is unknown; but some factors are associated with increased chance of developing uterine fibroid. A family history is a factor. History of fibroid developing in women of the same family or race plays a role in a woman’s life. African women have between two and three times chances of developing fibroid than white women. Also, African women develop fibroid at a younger age, usually in their 20s and above, unlike white or caucasian women where fibroid may occur in their 30s or 40s. No pregnancy or low pregnancy rate increases the risk, just as early onset of menses...
Read more