By Hassan Zaggi
In an effort to halt the spread of the Tuberculosis in the FCT, the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) in collaboration with Debriche Health Development Centre (DHDC) during the weekend sensitized students of Government Secondary School Wuse, Zone 4, Abuja, about the causes, symptoms and how to access treatment for Tuberculosis (TB).
They also taught the students how to prevent stigma and discrimination against people suffering from TB and that the disease is preventable, curable and treatment is free in all parts of the Nigeria.
The sensitization campaign was part activities to commemorate the year 2022 World TB Day.
It would be recalled that few days ago, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), warned of the rising cases of TB among students of primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Responding to questions from our Correspondent, the Executive Director of DHDC, Deborah Ogwuche-Ikeh, said that the essence of the sensitization campaign was an effort to scale up TB case finding in Nigeria.
According to her: “We are trying to scale TB case finding, providing them with information that they can tell people around them so that we can get more people reporting to the health facility and get tested for TB.”
Deborah Ogwuche-Ikeh explained that: “We are here to sensitize the students about TB, the dangers of TB, signs and symptoms of TB and how it is spread.
“We also inform them about the services that are available for people affected by TB.
“Another part of the sensitization is also to inform them about the barriers that people with TB have in the society. Also, why have we not ended TB in Nigeria? What are the factors?
“One of the factors we talk to them about is stigma and discrimination. We also try to tell them that when somebody is already on treatment, then they can longer spread the disease.
“Another essence for this awareness and sensitization programme is also to reduce stigma and discrimination. Children are change agents. They are the leaders of tomorrow. If you tell a child something, they will run with it. They will want to tell everybody about it. So, we are trying to use this platform and spread the news. We just want to reduce mortality from TB and reduce TB incidence in Nigeria.”
She disclosed that her organization had partnered with Stop TB Partnership Nigeria to sensitize schools across Nigeria since 2019, noting that, “we visited several schools and we do not intend to stop until we achieve the goal of ending TB by 2030.”
Speaking to our Correspondent on what he gained during the sensitization campaign, an SS 1 student, Zilabean Abdullahi said, “I learnt that if someone is having symptoms of TB, he can call them with their numbers 3340 anywhere you are in the country they will go there and pick and treat you.
“The treatment is free. You cant use you money to pay for the treatment until you are fine. With this knowledge I have today, I can inform others about how to prevent themselves from TB.”
