In a media briefing held in Ibadan on Tuesday to mark the 2024 World Tuberculosis Day, PLAN Health Advocacy and Developmental Foundation (PLAN Foundation) passionately called for concerted actions to combat tuberculosis by 2030. Representing the foundation, Mrs. Ifedayo Osemwegie emphasized the alignment of the Foundation’s stance with that of the World Health Organization (WHO), underscoring the imperative for action across various fronts to ensure the fulfillment of commitments aimed at ending TB.
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, 24 March 2024, continues with the theme “Yes! We can end TB”.
The foundation outlined key actions, including high-level leadership and decisive measures to terminate TB, sustainable allocation of resources to support care, access to information, and investment in research. Additionally, it emphasized the importance of expanding access to TB preventive treatment and screening services, leveraging the recently unveiled WHO investment case.
Moreover, the foundation emphasized the significance of fostering multi-sectoral engagement and accountability in collaboration with countries, partners, and civil society, while also addressing health inequities to ensure universal health coverage.
Mrs. Osemwegie highlighted the persistent challenge posed by tuberculosis globally, with millions of lives affected annually. Describing TB as a contagious bacterial infection primarily affecting the lungs but with potential impacts on other body parts, she emphasized its airborne transmission, making it highly contagious.
Despite strides in TB control, including enhanced diagnostic and treatment options, the battle against TB persists. Mrs. Osemwegie pointed out the promising prospect of shorter treatment regimens as a means to address challenges inherent in traditional TB treatment.
” Tuberculosis (TB) remains a formidable global health challenge, causing immense suffering and claiming millions of lives each year”, she said.
Mrs Osemwegie added, ” TB is a contagious bacterial infection, primarily affecting the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body, it spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, making it highly transmissible.
” Despite significant progress in TB control efforts, including improved diagnostic and treatment options, the fight against TB is far from over”.
She stressed further that one promising approach” in the battle against TB is the development and implementation of shorter treatment regimes, adding ” shorter regimens offer a beacon of hope in addressing challenges in Traditional TB treatment.
The foundation however, called on media practitioners to join it ” as partners and allies in providing the society with much needed information and enlightenment to defeat the debilitating stigma borne out of inadequate information which is posing serious threats to our collective fight against Tuberculosis”
Mrs. Ifedayo Osemwegie
In its efforts to combat TB, the foundation urged media practitioners to collaborate as partners and allies in disseminating crucial information to the public. It emphasized the role of media in combating the stigma associated with TB, which stems from misinformation, and highlighted the necessity of collective action to overcome this debilitating barrier in the fight against tuberculosis.
