As part of measures to stop further spread of tuberculosis cough among Lagos residents, the State Government has commenced grassroots search for over 15,000 unidentified Lagosians reported to be living with tuberculosis disease across the state.
To lead the grassroots search for unidentified patients, the government, along with its partners, have conferred honours on female council chairmen, wives of local council chairmen, and other individuals with mandates to push for its eradication in their local governments and communities across the state.
Conferring honours on the female council chairmen and their colleagues’ wives on Tuesday, the First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said that their recognition was to lead aggressive advocacy within their councils in the state.
Sanwo-Olu, who conferred them with Ambassadorial title at the Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, said that the statistics isn’t friendly, emphasizing the critical need for proactive measures to combat tuberculosis (TB) in the region.
Sanwo-Olu also pointed out the significant role women play in advocacy and community health, stating, “Women are very powerful. The men are the heads, but the women are the neck.” She encouraged the female chairpersons to leverage their influence and mobilize resources to raise awareness about TB prevention and treatment.
Sanwo-Olu further emphasized the need for collaboration across sectors, urging the champions to network and form platforms to share ideas and best practices. “Within 48 hours of your investiture, start taking action. You have a responsibility to your community,” she said.
Also, the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, stated that the strategy adopted by the Lagos State Government will further drive Tuberculosis awareness among Lagosians.
Pate, who was represented by the Head, Control Coordination Mechanism, Tajudeen Ibrahim, added that the move will further reduce response time of medical experts across the state.
The Minister, who emphasized collaboration, argued that if all stakeholders’ unite, the disease would have being phased out from the country.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Abayomi disclosed that approximately 32,000 individuals in Lagos are currently living with undiagnosed TB, with only 515 cases identified so far this year. He urged the audience to recognize the severity of the situation, noting, “That means there are 15,000 people in Lagos right now walking around and living with tuberculosis that have not been diagnosed.” He emphasized the infectious nature of TB, warning that each untreated individual could infect up to 15 others annually, leading to a potential epidemic.
The Commissioner stressed the importance of community involvement in identifying and treating TB patients, stating that the local government chairpersons’ spouses could play a pivotal role in this initiative. “You must continue to talk to your husbands and tell them that the program you came to today is so important,” he urged.
Professor Abayomi also provided an overview of treatment protocols, explaining that TB requires a rigorous regimen of antibiotics over six months and highlighting the significance of Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) to ensure adherence and prevent drug-resistant strains of the disease. “If you don’t take your medicine properly, you’re going to get what’s called drug-resistant tuberculosis,” he cautioned.
