Kaduna uncovers some 4,000 cases of tuberculosis every year, amounting to 90% of those successfully treated and cured, state officials say.
Kaduna health commissioner Paul Dogo disclosed this to newsmen at the health ministry in comments to mark World Tuberculosis Day.
The government has approved N20 million to promote statewide TB programme, and treatment centres have been expanded to 269 and 84 laboratory or diagnostic centres.
He however assured that the state will increase awareness on the fight against the spread of tuberculosis; adding that the state will also include private health facilities and faith based health centres.
"The state is currently piloting house to house tuberculosis case finding as health workers move from house to house collecting sample from people coughing and taking them to the hospital for test. Those who are diagnosed to have TB are placed on treatment in the comfort of their homes,"
"The state piloted an innovation called ‘Fast’, that is, finding TB cases very fast and treating them within 48hrs of diagnosis as against what used to take almost two weeks.
The State also piloted the treatment of drug resistant TB in the community instead of the then usual hospital based and both diagnosis and treatment are free of charge," he added.
The Commissioner therefore called on people coughing to go to the hospital for test and treatment while he advised people not to cough in the open without covering their mouths.
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