The Nasarawa State Government has set up a 20-member steering committee to develop a strategic plan to tackle the increasing cases of Tuberculosis (TB) among children in the state.
Dr Ibrahim Alhassan, Director of Public Health Ministry of Health, Nasarawa State, stated this while speaking at the inaugural meeting of the steering committee on Children Tuberculosis Care in Lafia.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that can cause infection in the lungs or other tissues. It commonly affects the lungs, but it can also affect other organs like the spine, brain, or kidneys.
According to the Director, the committee, which comprised critical stakeholders, including the media, is to strategies to improve case finding for Tuberculosis (TB) among children.
Alhassan pointed out that one of the biggest problems in the fight against TB in the state was identifying all cases within the population.
“It is difficult to identify TB cases in the adult population and much more difficult among children hence the need for change of strategies.
“The presentation of tuberculosis in children is not topical as in the adult population and it is more difficult to get samples from the children for testing to ascertain their status.
“We want to develop strategies to identify all children with tuberculosis and link them with treatment to eliminate the scourge from the state,” the director added.
Alhassan noted that the decision to set up a committee specifically to handle pediatric tuberculosis became imperative because the general approach being used over the years had not worked properly.
The director, therefore, appealed to members of the public, especially those with the symptoms of TB, to go to the nearest health facility for testing and possibly treatment if found positive.
He said that the symptoms of TB include cough that lasts for more than weeks, pain in the chest, fatigue or weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, and night sweats, among others.
On his part, Dr Samuel Ovey-Dogara, Programme Manager for Tuberculosis and Leprosy in the state, said that the committee became imperative due to the determination of the government to eliminate the scourge before 2035.
He explained that the disease can be spread when a person with active TB releases germs into the air through coughing, sneezing, talking, singing, or even laughing.
He added that every Primary Healthcare Centre, General Hospital as well as Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia, and Federal Medical Centre Keffi are testing and treatment Centres for TB.
“Testing and treatment is free, so everyone that presents the symptoms should go to the nearest facility to get attention.
“Collecting samples for testing from the children could be very difficult sometimes because some of them produce sputum and swallow it.
“As a result, it is better to get their stool for testing to ascertain their status and link them with treatment if confirmed positive to curtail the spread of the disease,” he added.
The program manager added that tuberculosis was still a health challenge in the state as over 7,000 persons were diagnosed in 2023, and all were placed on treatment.
“We have 4, 627 diagnosed cases of tuberculosis in the first and second quarter of 2024 already, and this is worrisome,” he added.
He, therefore, said that the committee comprising Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, Proprietors of private medical facilities, medicine vendors, and journalists, among others, would help a lot towards eliminating the disease in the state. (NAN).