By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
An non-governmental organisation, NGO, operating in Nigeria under the aegis of Breakthrough Action Nigeria International, BANI, has charged states and federal governments to expedite action in the control and treatment of tuberculosis and malaria.
The NGO gave the charge at the just concluded two-day seminar, which ended in Calabar yesterday.
Breakthrough Action Nigeria, sponsored by United States Agency For International Development, USAID, is an interventionist organization with focus on malaria control, tuberculosis and gender based issues, asked media practitioners and health care delivery experts to join hands with governent to tackle these ailments.
Maintaining that with team work by major stakeholders malaria, tuberculosis and others can be drastically reduced if not completely stopped, the organisation called for all hands to be on deck in order to reduce these ailments.
A communique issued at the end of the seminar drew government’s attention to the prevalent rate of tuberculosis patients in the country, stressing that Nigeria ranked fourth in the world, as well as occupying the unenviable first position in the African continent.
The seminar afforded media participants the opportunity of being acquainted with the development of program contents on the effective ways of sensitizing and promoting public awareness on the effective methods of malaria and tuberculosis control and treatment.
The communique charged media partners to use contents of their programmes to fight stigmatization against tuberculosis, stressing that the disease is not a death sentence as research has shown that early detections of symptoms associated with tuberculosis could lead to cure provided proper test are conducted to establish the type of treatment can be administered.
Media partners were also asked to ensure that adequate and constant awareness campaigns are vigorously employed to educate the public on the importance of being acquainted with tuberculosis symptoms, which include persistent coughing, night sweating, experiencing feverish conditions, among others.
