Four local governments in Kogi State have been described as having high level of Tuberculosis outbreak in the state.
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Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja
Four local governments in Kogi State have been described as having high level of Tuberculosis outbreak in the state.
A non governmental Organisation, Initiative for Grassroot Advancement Commitment to Rural Development, INGRA, who revealed this yesterday in Lokoja also said the state government was not doing enough to tackle the menace.
Executive Director of INGRA, Hamza Aliu who disclosed this in Lokoja while speaking with newsmen urged the state government to as a matter of urgency stop playing lip service to the issues of Tuberculosis and provide measure to tackle it.
Accordin to him, “The burden of tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria is high with the nation ranking 10th among the 22 high burden TB countries in the world. Unfortunately, the data from the TB programme of the States’ ministries of health are usually unpublished, which possibly contribute to the prevailing ignorance and poor attitude of Nigerians to the disease.
“It is estimated that less than 25% of Nigerians have the required knowledge about the disease. The age group commonly affected by TB are the most productive age groups, with the 25 –34 age group accounting for 33.6% (15,303) of the smear positive cases registered in 2010.
“This scenario is no different in Kogi State, with data showing a spike in the prevalence of the disease and a more worrisome increase in the prevalence of Multi-Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB), especially in the Eastern Senatorial District (Ankpa, Dekina, Olamaboro, Ofu).
“Ankpa LGA especially is hardest hit with no fewer than 4 new cases of DR-TB detected quarterly. This, coupled with the high HIV burden in the area, gives cause for concern.”
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Tanwa Ashiru
Tanwa Ashiru is a U.S Airforce veteran, and the CEO of Bulwark Intelligence Solutions. She holds an M.A in Intelligence Studies from American Military University (AMU) and is a Fellow of the Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals (AERMP).
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