Five agencies partner Anambra on TB intervention

AGBANI Partners, NNPC, Chevron, Fanfa oil Limited, BR Petrobras and Equinor, Action Health Incorporated collaborated with Anambra State Tuberclosis Control Programme on TB awareness Campaign in three LGA’s of the state.

  The Anambra State Programme Officer of Tuberclosis and Burili Ulcer Dr Ugochukwu Chukwulobelu said this during Capacity building for  TB vanguards in Ogbaru, Awka South and Idemili South Local Government Areas of the state.

  In his opening remarks, Chukwulobelu noted that Nigeria accounts for one of the countries in WHO‟s list of 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of the world’s cases.

  He also said that ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

  ”The campaign was concentrated on three local governments- Awka South, Ogbaru and Idemili South in Anambra State.

  ”The Capacity building was  aimed to increase awareness about the disease and promote referrals across the three selected LGAs in Anambra State.

  ”The two- day capacity building was conducted for 45 community vanguards, comprising of health workers and community volunteers from the three LGAs.

  ”The health workers and community vanguards were trained on epidemiology, transmission and identification of symptoms of TB.

  ”Other parts of the training were , community engagement, community-based active TB Search and linking TB Patients to treatment amongst others,he noted.

  The campaign, he said, was in line with the National Strategic Plan of Action Goal of providing Nigerians with Universal Access to High-quality, patient-centered prevention.

  Diagnosis and treatment services for TB, TB/HIV and Drug Resistant TB by 2020 were carried out .

  It will also increase  timely referrals of suspected TB cases to DOTS centres and chest clinic in the three LGAs, which will in turn increase the uptake of Free TB services in these LGAs.

  On her part, Mrs Stella Akindele of  Action Health Incorporated said that to commence this campaign, a baseline Knowledge, Attitude and health seeking Practice Survey was conducted among community members in selected project communities.

  ”Following this activity, a 2- day capacity building was conducted for forty-five 45 Community Vanguards, comprising of health workers and community volunteers from the 3 LGA.

  ”The health workers and community vanguards were trained on epidemiology, transmission and identification of symptoms of TB.

  ”Other parts of the training were , community engagement, community-based active TB Search and linking TB Patients to treatment amongst others,she said.

  At the end of the training, the Community vanguards demonstrated increased knowledge and skills to effectively create awareness on TB, detect presumptive cases.

  They also efficiently refer the presumed patients to designated DOTs centres and Chest clinics for efficient management.

Following the capacity building activities, the trained Community Vanguards carried out their first monthly group community sensitization in the selected communities in their respective LGAs.

  Kitted in their ‘Let’s Unite to End TB’ T-Shirts and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) posters and fliers on TB, the Community Vanguards moved from house-to house, street-to-street.

  They also moved to markets to counsel people on TB Prevention, Spread and Treatment.

  Referrals of presumptive TB Clients to nearby Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) Centres were also conducted using the adopted TB Community Referral Tools.

  As a result of these awareness campaign activities across these three LGAs, 1,628 persons were sensitised.

  Upon completion of the group sensitisation activities, and as part of the TB Awareness Campaign, the trained community vanguards continue to conduct one-on-one outreach in their respective communities. Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

  Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health challenge in Nigeria which ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of people with TB disease.

  It typically affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but can also affect other sites (extra pulmonary TB).

  TB is spread from person to person through the air when people with pulmonary TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.

A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.

  People infected with TB bacteria have a 5–15% lifetime risk of falling ill with TB.

  However, persons with compromised immune systems, such as people living with HIV, malnutrition or diabetes, or people who use tobacco, have a much higher risk of falling ill.

  About one-quarter of the world’s population has latent TB, which means people have been infected by TB bacteria but are not (yet) ill with the disease and cannot transmit the disease.

  When a person develops active TB disease, the symptoms (such as cough, fever, night sweats, or weight loss) may be mild for many months.

  This can lead to delays in seeking care, and results in transmission of the bacteria to others.

  People with active TB can infect 10–15 other people through close contact over the course of a year.

  Without proper treatment, 45% of HIV-negative people with TB on average and nearly all HIV-positive people with TB will die.