2024 is here with a myriad of issues that may be challenging the fight to end Tuberculosis. The changes in temperature and humidity that only creates a more conducive and thriving environment for the transmission of the disease is something KNCV has taken into consideration. What does KNCV plan to do in adjusting interventions this year and to accelerate the 2030 goal? Read more…

On Strategic Plans to End TB by 2030, 

KNCV Nigeria is aligning with NTBLCP’s national strategic plan 2020 to 2025, by adopting a mixed model of community and facility based, health systems strengthening strategies and digital solutions to find TB cases. The current USAID funded TB LON 1 & 2 project contributes to strategic plans to End TB by 20230 through its key objectives to Improve access to high quality person-centered, TB, DR-TB and TB/HIV services; Strengthen TB service delivery platforms; Reduce TB transmission and disease progression and Apply innovation and accelerate research in TB with improved impact on program implementation.

Climate Change effect on TB Control and Treatment

Increased Incidence of new TB cases from changes in temperature and humidity which can eventually enhance the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria which causes TB. Also, increasing warm temperatures and humidity can create conducive environments for the transmission of the disease, potentially increasing the incidence of TB in Nigeria Climate change can induce mass migration and displacement of persons from natural disasters such as flooding, droughts and other extreme weather conditions/events leading to poor sanitary conditions which increase the vulnerability of the displaced individuals to TB as well as limited access to quality healthcare and increase disruptions in TB control programs.

Climate change has effects on Socio-economic conditions of the population which can influence TB spread as changes in living conditions can become more pronounced and thus influence TB transmission dynamics due to poorer livelihoods

The Air Quality and Respiratory Health are key areas affected by climate change with air pollution a strong driver for worsening respiratory conditions including TB making the spread of this disease even worse, especially in Nigeria with poor air quality monitoring systems and limited interventions to improve air quality in densely populated regions of the country.:

Climate change can influence the distribution and prevalence of vector-borne diseases, which may, in turn, impact TB. Co-infections with other diseases can complicate the management and treatment of TB patients especially in Nigeria

As of now, we have been able to improve the case detection of TB cases in Nigeria through the USAID supported TB LON intervention and in doing so, deployed interventions that are climate friendly in ensuring green solutions to power supply challenges in molecular labs, ensuring they run 24hrs a day without polluting the environment. However, the flooding experienced in some coastal states with the displacement of people as well as continuous migration of persons and interruption of TB services continues to hinder effective TB control in some areas in the country. Without a clear roadmap on addressing the effect of climate change on the health sector and without a strategic plan to mitigate against the effect of climate change in the country, Nigeria runs the risk of experiencing worsening TB incidence from direct and indirect effects of climate change in Nigeria.

KNCV Nigeria should be at the forefront of advocacy to the Federal, State and Local Governments to develop an action plan for mitigating the effects of climate change on TB control and on the Nigerian Health Sector.

Specific strategies planned for early detection, treatment, or prevention of TB as well as new tools or methodologies planned to be introduced to build on your 2023 successes, to support a scaling up?

Nigeria is currently providing technical support based on lessons learned to NTBLCP in the national scale up and deployment of over 300 portables digital X-rays (PDX) machines for TB screening across Nigeria.

KNCV Nigeria’s efforts this 2024 towards the larger goal of ending TB by 2030? 

We aim to increase TB cases detected, treated, and notified to a cumulative number of 437,895 in 14 states of LON 1 and 2 by March 2025 during the life span of USAID funded TB LON regions 1 & 2 project