Yemi Obafemi
WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, has expressed its readiness to work with Borno Government to address tuberculosis in the state.
Mulombo disclosed this during the North-East Nigeria 13th WHO End-Term Joint Operations where she expressed the concern over “increasing rate of tuberculosis infection in Borno.”
The review is for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, affected by Boko Haram insurgency.
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.’’
The Country Representative urged stakeholders to take action that will address tuberculosis and accelerate help 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.
