Nigeria Risks TB Gains as Donor Funding Declines, Network Warns

Elochukwu Benjamin |Ichie Times

ABUJA: The Civil Society for the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria (TB Network) has raised concerns over the underreporting and inadequate funding of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB), warning that poor public awareness and stigma continue to undermine efforts to control the disease.

The organisation attributed the limited media attention given to tuberculosis to inadequate knowledge of the disease and lack of commitment among some journalists and media organisations, urging practitioners to give the issue greater prominence.

National Coordinator of TB Network, Olayide Akanni, made the call on Thursday while declaring open a three-day training for journalists on DR-TB coverage and reporting in Abuja.

The training brought together 24 journalists from Anambra, Cross River, Ebonyi, Lagos, Osun, Borno, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kaduna and the FCT.

The programme is being organised under the COMBAT DR-TB Project with support from Unitaid.

Akanni urged journalists to intensify public enlightenment, counter misinformation and discrimination against people living with tuberculosis, as well as promote early diagnosis and access to treatment.

She lamented that many lives had been lost to tuberculosis due to inadequate public awareness, poor media coverage and insufficient funding, noting that stigma remained prevalent in many communities.

According to her, the training was designed to strengthen the media’s contribution to Nigeria’s tuberculosis response through practical knowledge of TB and DR-TB management, the national disease burden, progress made and existing challenges.

She said participants would also acquire skills in interpreting tuberculosis data and research findings, developing evidence-based public interest stories and designing a sustainable media reporting plan to encourage regular coverage of the disease.

Akanni disclosed that TB Network, a principal recipient of the Global Fund Grant Cycle 7, had been collaborating with the Federal Government to provide treatment and care for people living with drug-resistant tuberculosis across the country.

She said the organisation had supported treatment for more than 3,700 DR-TB patients since 2004, while implementing quality improvement programmes in 20 states to address gaps in treatment and support the government’s strategic health sector objectives.

Also speaking, the TB/DR-TB Focal Person in the Public Health Department of the Federal Capital Territory, Henry Ofordu, described journalists as critical partners in promoting accountability and mobilising public support for tuberculosis control.

He expressed concern over misconceptions surrounding the disease, including doubts about its existence and misunderstanding of how it spreads, and called for sustained grassroots media campaigns to address the problem.

Similarly, Dr Bethrand Mamman of KNCV stressed the need to prioritise tuberculosis in national health discussions, urging state governments to demonstrate greater commitment through adequate funding for prevention and control programmes.

The National Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of TB Network, Ebuka Nnodim, who presented an overview of the Community-Driven Approaches for Transformative Change to Combat Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (COMBAT DR-TB) Project, called for sustainable financing and stronger government ownership of tuberculosis programmes.

Nnodim warned that the heavy dependence of state-level interventions on external funding could threaten the continuity of essential services if governments failed to increase domestic budgetary allocations, particularly amid declining donor support.

In her presentation on drug-resistant tuberculosis, the Head of the Training Department at the National Institute of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Dr Jiya-Chitumu Eunice, described TB as a major public health challenge requiring accurate reporting and sustained public education.

She urged journalists to humanise their reports, dispel myths and misconceptions about the disease, and hold relevant institutions accountable for their responsibilities in prevention and control.

On her part, Blessing Ukpabi of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) said the project aligned with broader efforts to strengthen domestic financing for tuberculosis interventions, especially amid reductions in support from some international development partners, including the United States government.