Following increased screening efforts nationwide, Global Fund, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), has revealed that no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians have tested positive for tuberculosis (TB).
According to the Fund, several of those affected have yet to be placed on treatment, raising concerns about the country’s ability to contain the disease and prevent further transmission.
The Executive Secretary of the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) in Nigeria, Ibrahim Tajudeen, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while speaking at the 11th quarterly meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
Tajudeen stated that the individuals were screened as part of the ongoing TB case-finding efforts supported by the government and donor partners, adding that a critical funding gap is now threatening to reverse the progress made.
“We have successfully screened more than 50,000 people who are TB-positive, but we are unable to begin treatment for many due to limited resources,” Tajudeen said.
Speaking further, he explained that the backlog is a result of constraints in the current funding cycle, which has seen reprioritisation of activities under the new Global Fund grant.
“The Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) is expected to confirm its alignment with the revised funding allocation by July 14, a deadline that may determine whether those affected could access life-saving treatment in time,” he said.
Tajudeen maintained that tuberculosis, a preventable and curable disease, remains one of Nigeria’s leading infectious disease threats, emphasising that apart from the TB crisis, there are several ongoing health interventions across the country.
“More than 25.5 million tuberculosis tests have been conducted using modern diagnostic platforms. A total of 370 digital X-ray machines have been procured, with some already delivered to various states. The upgrade of six regional reference laboratories is currently underway,” he said.
Moreover, he revealed that 16.6 million insecticide-treated nets had been distributed across the country to support malaria prevention efforts, adding that the government had received $95.5 million in commitments from donors for the ongoing interventions.
He, however, said that the shortfall from earlier budget projections had led to the shelving of several planned activities, including drug procurement, training, and capital investments.
Tajudeen called on the MOC and partners to urgently intervene to prevent the situation from escalating.
“Screening alone is not enough; without treatment, we risk fueling the very epidemic we seek to control,” he added.