Maryam Bawa
Tuberculosis is a highly variable communicable disease that has led to the deaths of many over the years.
Global TB report of 2020 has shown that 10million people fell ill with tuberculosis and 1.4 million people died of the illness between 2000 to 2019 globally.
Nigeria is ranked 6th among the highest tuberculosis burden countries in the world and 1st in Africa with Kano among the leading states in the country.
As the world celebrates the World Tuberculosis Day, Safiyanu 37 who was diagnosed with tuberculosis late February said he received the news with shock because no one in his family has ever come in contact with the disease.
“It is destiny because I sometimes still think it is an infection I got from taking cold drinks, He said, ” I didn’t tell anyone though but the cough kept on coming till I went to the hospital myself an here I am getting free treatment and I am getting better”, he added.
Another patient from Kano Rahama Salisu, 28 who is still undergoing treatment said even though the treatment for tuberculosis is free, the stigma associated with the illness is unbearable.
“My friends kept their distance, neighbors don’t talk to me, even at home no one eats my leftover and when I give out clothes people don’t use them, I was told they throw the clothes away. Some even say that it is not tuberculosis that it is HIV. I was even coughing blood. But the doctors said that I will get better and I hope I do” she added.
A 23year old Umar Hassan said Tuberculosis is curable as he was once a patient too but at the initial stage of illness he was scared, even his family members and friends thought he was not going to get better.
” No one in my family has any knowledge of tuberculosis so they all kept their distance. Seeing that I also isolated myself, I stopped going out till it got worse, so I was taken to the hospital and after diagnosis I was put on medication for months now I am cured and I am back to my normal life”.
Dr Muktar Gadanya an associate professor at Bayero University Kano and a Consultant Public Health Physician at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital said that there are two types of Tuberculosis.
One which affects the lungs(pulmonary), and non-pulmonary tuberculosis which affects other parts of the body.
“The symptoms differs depending on the immune system of a person and it varies based on the type of tuberculosis one is infected with. Pulmonary Tuberculosis symptoms can include coughing in some cases with a mixture of blood, to night fevers and weight loss”
Non-pulmonary affect even the spinal cord and the patient may end up not being able to walk .
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He added that tuberculosis can be prevented by immunization, eating healthy, avoiding crowded places and avoidance of risk factors associated with the infection like smoking.
Kano State Program Manager for Tuberculosis Dr Ibrahim Aliyu Umar said that partnerships has been made with Organisations at different levels to bring an end to the spread of the infection even with the COVID-19 outbreak lots of projects are ongoing to bring an end to the deadly Tuberculosis.
” Even with the COVID-19 pandemic we are able to expand our TB services in the state, the lockdown even propelled us to think outside the box, look beyond the boarder to look at ways through which we can continue giving quality services without any obstruction to our patients in every corner of the state”.
He added that more interventions and projects are coming up in the fight to make Kano a Tuberculosis free state.
The theme for this year’s World Tuberculosis Day is “The Clock is Ticking”.
Maryam Bawa Is a Veteran Journalist based in Kano
