NIGERIA is facing a critical funding shortfall in its efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB), with an estimated 80,000 expected TB patients in 2024 still unidentifiable or untreated.
Stakeholders raised this concern on Tuesday at a pre-World TB Day press briefing in Abuja.
Mr Tajudeen Ibrahim, Country Coordinating Mechanism, Global Fund, Executive Secretary, disclosed that Nigeria required 404 million dollars to effectively deliver TB treatment and services in 2025.
Ibrahim cautioned that the country’s TB drug supply for 2025 was already under pressure, as medications allocated for 2025 had been used to meet the treatment demands for 2024.
He further highlighted a 5 million dollars funding gap caused by a recent U.S. government executive order, which impacted active case-finding efforts in 18 states between January and March.
Ibrahim also noted that 24 per cent of Nigeria’s TB funding comes from external sources, with the U.S. contributing 22 million dollars.
He expressed concern that if funding issues persisted, the country’s TB detection and treatment efforts would suffer.
Dr Urhioke Ochuko, Head of Childhood Tuberculosis at the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer, and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), revealed that, in spite of intensified efforts, 80,000 individuals in need of TB treatment in 2024 were neither diagnosed nor treated.
This has resulted in a 17 per cent treatment gap.
He explained that although 439,000 individuals were identified with TB, only 418,000 received treatment, leaving a significant number without care.
Ochuko also disclosed that treating one TB patient costs approximately 600 dollars, while drug-resistant TB treatment costs 3,000 dollars.
“Universal diagnosis and treatment for all TB patients remain our goal, but financial constraints and systemic challenges hinder progress,” he stated.
He called for increased funding, expanded diagnostic services, and stronger community-based interventions to close the treatment gap.
Dr Adesigbin Clement Olufemi, Head of the Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT), NTBLCP, emphasised the importance of community-driven approaches in TB detection and treatment.
“The ‘whole-of-society approach’ ensures that communities actively monitor, track, and report TB cases, rather than relying solely on government health institutions.”
Olufemi highlighted the positive impact of deploying more than 333 diagnostic tools, which had increased case detection by 40 per cent.
Dr Enang Oyama, Chair of the 2025 World TB Day Planning Committee, shared progress in TB treatment, particularly the shortened duration of drug-resistant TB treatment and the shift to all-oral regimens, eliminating painful injections.
He also stressed the importance of the BCG vaccine, noting that it protects children from severe TB.
While acknowledging its limitations, he noted that research was ongoing to develop a TB vaccine for adults, similar to advances seen with malaria vaccines.
Dr Olayemi Olupitan, Project Director of Global Fund (Grant Cycle), Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, called for sustained public awareness through social media and investigative journalism to combat misinformation and push for increased funding.
Olupitan urged journalists to become TB champions, actively engaging with partners and policymakers to ensure funding transparency, expanded case-finding efforts, and improved TB services across Nigeria. (NAN)
