WHO expresses concern over spread of TB in Borno

The World Health Organisation, on Monday, raised the alarm over the “increasing rate of tuberculosis infection in Borno.”

The organisation’s Head of Mission/Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, expressed the concern during the North-East Nigeria 13th WHO End-Term Joint Operations

Review in Yola.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the review is for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

The WHO country representative, however, expressed its readiness to work with Borno Government to address the problem.

Mulombo said, “The rate of tuberculosis infection in Borno is worrisome. It means that Borno could be a ticking bomb for the tuberculosis explosion in Nigeria.

“We don’t want to allow that because of humanitarian crisis; we need to work together because that thing itself is strictly an emergency.’’

Mulombo, therefore, urged stakeholders to take action to accelerate help and to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal of leaving no one behind.

Earlier, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno said that the state lost about 50 per cent of its health institutions and many staff were abducted or killed due to the insurgency.

Represented by the Borno Commissioner for Health, Dr Baba Malam-Gana, Zulum said “one of the consequences of this is the issue of tuberculosis, which needs a lot of staff to work on it, including machines.

According to him, the state currently uses the help of the military to reach hard-to-reach areas to deliver services such as immunisation.

He urged the WHO to help in that regard, as well as in tackling gender-based violence, among other concerns.