On Saturday, 20th March 2018, Stop TB Partnership Nigeria in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) in commemoration of World Tuberculosis Day, held a road walk in Abuja to raise awareness about Tuberculosis.
The road walk was the last of a weeklong activities planned for the event, which started from Wuse market and ended at Utako market, Abuja. The national theme for this year’s celebration, “Find and notify all TB cases in Nigeria” was the focus of the sensitization exercise. Partner organization staffs were decked in TB branded materials, and while some were actively handing out flyers to passersby, others were sensitizing by-standers about TB.
It will be recalled that Professor Adewole in a press briefing on Friday, 23rd March noted that in 2017, only 104,904 TB cases were detected out of an estimated 407,000 of all forms of TB cases expected to be detected in 2017. It is hoped that the road walk will enlighten people, leading to more prevention, detection and treatment of TB cases.
The Stop TB Partnership Nigeria was formed by the National TB Control Programme (NTP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners (including civil society organizations, the private sector and individuals affected by TB) on 17 December 2007. The partnership’s main objective is to secure political commitment for TB control, care and prevention at national, state and LGA levels in order to create a strong national response to TB.