By Jibril Yahaya
Bauchi State Government has expressed concern over the detection of 13,908 Tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2024.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Sani Mohammed Dambam, made this known at a news conference to mark this year’s World Tuberculosis Day, in Bauchi.
Dr. Dambam, represented by the Director of Medical Services in the ministry, Dr Sulaiman Ningi, noted that with an estimated TB target of 18,696 cases in 2024, the state had achieved a 65% performance in TB case notification.
“Out of the 9,069 new TB cases detected and registered for treatment in 2024, about 3,989 were successfully treated, thereby achieving a 99.1% Treatment Success Rate (TSR) at the end of 2024,” he stated.
According to the commissioner, the state currently has 800 free TB treatment centres, 131 AFB centres, 18 GeneXpert machines, 12 Truenat machines, and nine TB-LAMP machines.
He explained that these were the latest machines used for diagnosing both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB strains, adding that all 20 local government areas in the state have at least one of the latest molecular diagnostic machines for TB detection.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of BACATMA, Dr Adamu Sambo, attributed the rise in TB cases to economic hardship, stating that increased testing was leading to the detection of more cases.
The event was organised by the Bauchi State Agencies for the Control of Tuberculosis and Malaria, with support from KNCV and other partners.
