As part of strategy to reduce incidences of Tuberculosis in the State, the Ondo State Government has commemorated the 2019 World Tuberculosis Day by embarking on Road Walk and conducting free screening.
Stakeholders took off for the Road Walk from the Ondo State Cultural Center Adegbemile through Oja Oba to Oba Ademuagun hall (formerly Akure City Hall) almist funfair to sensitise residents on tuberculosis and also distributed educative fliers on TB.
In the words of the TB Programme Officerr of the Ondo State Primary Healthcare Board, Mrs Olufunke Adeniyi said the World TB Day is an annual world sensitisation event done to bring people together so that they can know as much as possible about Tuberculosis, it's signs, symtoms, causative organisms and how to access care.
Mrs Adeniyi said the sensitisation is being done at the three tier of government and residents are being encouraged to immunise their children, live in well ventilated, clean and condusive environment.
The TB Programme Officer said residents should endeavour to present to the health facilities once they have these symptoms :coughnig for between 2-3 weeks, sweating profusely at night, have chest pain associated with coughing and disclosed that screening and treatment for TB in all government health facilities across the state is free.
Talking about effort of the State Government at tackling the menace of tuberculosis, the State Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the State Health Ministry, Mr Alex Akinwunmi, said the State Government is creating awareness and engaging in Community Outreaches where screening and treatment is free.
Akinwunmi disclosed that the disease is airborne and infectious, not hereditary but cureable.
The State Supervisor TB Programme Ondo State Ministry of Health disclosed that the state has 376 Directly Observed Treatment Clinics ( DOTs) in health facilities in the state including some private facilities.
She disclosed that some Development Partners have been supporting the expansion of the DOT Clinics so that more people can access TB services. Such Development Partners include; Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis Organisation,Demien Foundation, Belgium (DFB) and Institute of human Virology of Nigeria ( IHVN).
Representing Civil Society Network on Eradication of Tuberculosis, the Coordinator Kids and Teens, Mathin-Falana said the World TB Day was yesterday which is a Sunday, so the campaign was taken to Churches and NASFAT.
Mathin-Mary Falana who opined that Tuberculosis is the 2nd deadliest disease, killing between 1.5 -2 million worldwide annually, said the goodnews is that it can be cured hence the need to join hands to eradicate the disease by being our brother's keeper and helping those coughing for one or two weeks get to health facilities.
Press Officer Health
