The Nasarawa State Government has inaugurated a 20-member steering committee to formulate a strategic plan aimed at addressing the rising cases of tuberculosis (TB) among children in the state.
The Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan, disclosed this during the committee’s inaugural meeting on Children’s Tuberculosis Care, held on Friday in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs but can also impact other organs such as the spine, brain, or kidneys. It can be life-threatening if not treated.
According to Dr Alhassan, the committee included key stakeholders, such as media representatives, and is tasked with devising strategies to enhance TB case detection among children.
“One of the greatest challenges in combating TB in the state is identifying all cases within the population.
“It is difficult to diagnose TB in adults, and even more challenging in children, which is why we need to change our approach.
“The symptoms of TB in children are often not as pronounced as in adults, and collecting samples from children for testing is more difficult.
“We aim to develop strategies that will help us identify all children with TB and connect them to treatment, ultimately working toward eliminating the disease in the state,” Alhassan said.
The director emphasised that the decision to establish a dedicated committee for Children TB stemmed from the ineffectiveness of the general approach used in previous years.
He also urged the public, particularly individuals exhibiting TB symptoms, to visit the nearest healthcare facility for testing and, if necessary, treatment.
He said symptoms of TB include a persistent cough lasting more than two weeks, chest pain, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.
The Programme Manager for Tuberculosis and Leprosy in Nasarawa State, Dr Samuel Ovey-Dogara, highlighted the government’s commitment to eliminating TB by 2035, which necessitated the creation of the committee.
He explained that TB is spread through the air when a person with active TB coughs, sneezes, talks, sings, or laughs, releasing infectious germs.
“All primary healthcare centres, general hospitals, as well as the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia and the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, offer free TB testing and treatment,” Ovey-Dogara said.
He added that testing for TB in children can be particularly difficult as some children swallow the sputum required for testing. In such cases, stool samples may be collected instead to determine their status.
Ovey-Dogara further noted that TB remained a significant health concern in Nasarawa State.
“In 2023, over 7,000 individuals were diagnosed with TB and placed on treatment. In the first and second quarters of 2024 alone, 4,627 cases have already been recorded, which is a worrying trend,” he said.
The committee, consisting of medical doctors, pharmacists, private healthcare facility owners, medicine vendors, journalists, and other stakeholders, is expected to play a pivotal role in the fight to eradicate TB in the state.
NAN
