Health
TB Control: NGO Warns Against Stigmatisation, Discrimination … As Incidence Increases To 4.3million
Challenged by the rising
incidence of Tuberculosis around the world and the quest to end the scourge, a health-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Action Health Incorporated (AHI) has warned against stigmatization and discrimination of persons with tuberculosis in order to realize the 2030 deadline of TB eradication.
The Co-founder and Director of the NGO, Dr Uwemedimo Uko Esiet gave the warning at the programme of the launch/scorecard of tuberculosis campaign in Rivers State held at the state Ministry of Justice Hall, Port Harcourt, Monday.
Speaking to The Tide in an interview shortly after the programme, Esiet maintained that stigmation and discrimination had remained a major challenge and impediment in the fight against tuberculosis, adding that until such attitudes are down-played, the fight would be futile.
Esiet said “so far, the main challenge is that people still hold on to what is not correct. There is a whole lot of stigmatization and discrimination around TB and so long as this is there, we will not be getting to end TB as quickly as we want it. Because of the stigma and discrimination, many people who ordinarily would have loved to go for testing are not going and thereby not having access to its treatment”.
Esiet noted that the NGO’s efforts at tuberculosis intervention was to fight the ignorance that people have about the disease saying “what we have largely done is to first do a survey of knowledge, attitude and perception of people around tuberculosis and used that findings to develop a demand creation and behavioural change intervention”.
The Lagos-based NGO director stated that there has been a higher incidence of tuberculosis from over three million to about 4.3 million as revealed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2016 global tuberculosis report and stressed the need for partnership at all levels to end the scourge.
Scoring high the TB awareness campaign in the first four selected local government areas of Okrika, Khana, Obio/Akpor and Ahoada-East of the State, Esiet expressed hope that the programme would get to the other local governments in the state thereby making it a free TB state in the nearest future.
“That is the important reason why we are working with the State tuberculosis control programme manager. What we have done is like an experiment. Now that it has worked, the state TB control programme will take it forward and they have assured us that they will take it to the other local government areas of the state.
Earlier, the Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme, Rivers State, Dr Kingsley Aleruchi thanked the Action Health Incorporated for its laudable efforts in the fight against TB and its spread in the state through the training of 80 community vanguards and 20 health workers across the first four selected survey local government of Okrika, Ahoada-East, Obio/Akpor and Khana.
Aleruchi who noted with dismay the high level of stigmatization and discrimination on persons with TB as revealed by the survey conducted by the AHI said such acts had further aided the spread and increase of TB scourge, pointing out that it demanded more awareness and community support to TB patients.
He said “with the increasing rate of the disease and the gap between persons with TB and the rest of the people, there is the need for more regular sensitization across the 23 local government areas of the state and this is to ensure that we rid the state and its communities of TB come 2030”.
It should be noted that TB is curable and the treatment free while calling on persons with a protracted cough of more than two weeks to visit the nearest TB facility for diagnosis and treatment.
Lady Godknows Ogbulu
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.