The Kaduna state Tuberculosis, TB and Leprosy Control Programme has announced that case detection for tuberculosis in the state rose to 5,878 in 2020 as against 4,404 in 2019, indicating a 33 per cent increase in one year, in spite of the COVID-19 lockdown during the period.
The Programme Manager Abubakar Sadiq said case detection rate only represents 30 per cent of the state’s TB case detection target, which means that more work needs to be done.
Sadiq added that the programme will engage medical healers, private chemists and traditional birth attendants in the identification of TB cases in the state, because some people visit them first for treatment before going to the hospital.
He explained that other strategies put in place to improve active case identification included target outreaches, house-to-house searches and screening of all hospital attendees in secondary and tertiary health facilities.
The Programme Manager noted that the treatment rate for the state was excellent, with about 94 per cent of the TB cases diagnosed and managed successfully.
