By Tom Garba, Yola

During a validation meeting with stakeholders and partners in Yola, Janna Health Foundation (JHF) discussed how Tuberculosis (TB) is still remains a highly infectious disease of public health in Nigeria.

JHF, a non governmental organization worried over the prevalent rate of the infectious nature of TB in Nigeria despite achieving 59% treatment coverage and notifying over 280,000 people with TB, Nigeria still misses over 300,000 people with TB.

In his keynote opening remarks, Dr. Stephen John, Founder, Janna Health Foundation, and Board Member, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases said High rates of TB have been reported among certain populations termed ‘Key and Vulnerable Populations.

According to him these populations include Nomads, Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, Miners, People Living with TB (PLHIVs), Slum dwellers, inmates of correctional facilities, children and Health Care Workers among others.

Dr John who is also an SDG Ambassador in Nigeria revealed that TB Key Vulnerable Populations are at higher risk of TB due to factors which include poor access to health services especially TB, low level of knowledge and awareness on TB, poor vaccination (BCG) coverage, malnutrition, living in poorly ventilated and overcrowded tents of rooms among other factors.

He said JHF has invested over 10 years delivering TB prevention and care services to KVPs in Nigeria and have notified thousands of people with TB who would not have been detected due to their location and challenges in accessing Health Services.

"With support from Stop TB Partnership Nigeria and Geneva, the Programmes implemented by JHF helped identify barriers to accessing TB services by KVPs most of which were around gender and their diverse cultures. Interventions were developed around identified barriers and implemented among targeted KVPs.

"The TB KVP Size Estimation validation meeting being conducted showcases the efforts of JHF to help prioritize TB KVPs in Nigeria in addition to coming up with their size (population) estimation which is vital for TB programming in Nigeria." The statement read

Stephen while delivering a good will message said Adamawa State notified an average of 3,500 people with TB annually, however, TB services among Key and Vulnerable Populations (KVPs) remain suboptimal with little or no access to health services including TB thereby implying a huge number of undetected people with TB.

Discussing the TB Key and vulnerable population size estimation and validation during the meeting, Martin-Mary Falama discussed the population of nomads, the vulnerable population in Northeast.

The Good will messages of the Representative of the National Coordinator and Director Public Health, Tuberculosis (TB) ,Assistant Director Nursing of the Federal Ministry of Health Abuja, Stella Ekeh praised JHF is trying much for making sure TB becomes History in Nigeria.

According to her Nigeria being the first country with high rate of the TB infection, she revealed that the country is doing Great in controlling the deadly disease.


Dr Siraj Abdullahi in his good will message Nigeria is still grabbling with TB and the efforts of organization like Janna Health Foundation, Nstob TB, TB Network and surfable community Health Organization there is a hope that TB will be a History in Nigeria.

Abdullahi who is the CEO,/Founder of sufabel congratulated Janna Health Foundation and said the are partners in the business of fighting the scourge of TB in Nigeria especially the North East region.