The Kano State Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme has reported the detection of 26,271 cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the year 2022. Dr. Ibrahim Gano, the State TB Programme Manager, shared this information during the TIFA-SOFT project dissemination meeting in Kano.
Gano highlighted that 9,941 cases were detected in the last quarter of 2022, marking the highest quarterly TB notification figure recorded in Nigeria. Given the contagious nature of TB, with one untreated patient capable of transmitting the disease to 10 to 15 people within a year, the significance of timely detection and treatment is crucial.
Kano, being one of the most populous states in Nigeria and among the five with a high TB burden, has prioritized quality healthcare delivery in collaboration with various partners. The state government has expanded TB diagnostic equipment coverage to reach distant communities and deployed mobile TB screening tools and machines for diagnosis.
Gano outlined additional measures taken by the government to address TB in the state, including training healthcare workers on TB diagnosis, treatment, and reporting, expanding TB diagnosis and treatment services to more private health facilities, and enhancing collaboration with partners, community-based organizations, civil society organizations, professional associations, and traditional and religious leaders.
The Project Coordinator, Tuberculosis Implementation Framework Agreement and Social Franchise for TB Contact Investigation, Iboro Girdon, explained that the project aims to improve the uptake of TB prevention therapy in private health facilities in the state. The project has exceeded its targets, achieving a 183% increase in TB prevention uptake. It successfully placed 15,000 households’ contacts on TB preventive therapy and reached over 9,000 household index cases, placing them on TB prevention therapy.