Anambra State has the highest tuberculosis (TB) cases in Nigeria. Medical experts who spoke at USAID and Breakthrough Action-funded “Media Personnel Interactive Workshop on Tuberculosis” in Awka, the state capital yesterday, disclosed that of the recorded TB notifications, childhood cases topped that of the adults.
The programme manager, TB, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Programme in the state, Dr Chukwulobelu Ugochukwu, said commercial banking halls are the riskiest places in contracting TB, as according to him, they lack proper ventilation and always crowded, adding that TB is essentially an air-borne disease.
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He said there are enough sophisticated medical equipment for diagnosing TB infection and treatment free in both public and private hospitals across the state, but lamented that investigation showed that the people do not access the medical services.
A medical expert from Breakthrough Action, Dr Chijioke Oke, said findings showed that most TB patients in the state attribute to their health challenges due to superstition, citing witchcraft and poison from relatives and other perceived enemies and therefore do not agree to be subjected to medical treatment.
He said TB infection is not a death sentence assuring that it can be treated and also prevented.
He also advised that as preventive measures every child should be given BCG vaccination within 72 hours after birth and should not be exposed to an adult until such child has received BCG vaccination.
It was learnt that out of the about N5billion allocated to the health sector in the current state budget, only about N50 million is allocated to TB programme which according to medical experts is very low given the high rate of TB cases in the state.