USAID Donates $3.3m to Fight Tuberculosis

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday said it has donated $3.3 million in commodities to the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health’s National TB and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), as part of a broader ‘New Tools Project-Nigeria’.

A statement issued by the US Embassy said the initiative would help NTBLCP officials find more missing TB cases and help Nigeria sustain an upward trajectory for TB case-finding in line with global targets.

The statement said Nigeria reported 138,600 TB patients in 2020 up from 120,266 in 2019 (a 15 percent increase over 2019).

The statement quoted USAID Mission Director, Anne Patterson, to have said of the donation that: “We are committed to working closely with the Government of Nigeria in expanding early detection and reducing the number of TB cases in the country,” adding that: “These tools will make TB primary care more accessible to

many Nigerians as well as save lives.”

The donations included 38 Trunat machines for molecular tests to diagnose TB and drug-resistant TB with 80,000 testing reagents and 10 high-tech portable digital x-ray systems with computer-aided detection software for use in hard-to-reach areas. The donation also included sufficient medicines to prevent TB progression in 21,000 patients.

The statement said next year, the new tools promise to provide state-of-the-art screening for 500,000 persons, rapid molecular testing for about 80,000 persons, and ultimately diagnose 10,000 cases for treatment referral. These new tools will be implemented in 18 states in the country through the USAID Tuberculosis Local Organisations Network (TB LON) activity.

According to the statement, Nigeria is one of the seven countries receiving the package of screening, diagnostic, and treatment tools. The others are Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, and Vietnam.