Metohuey Michael Adoglo
In other to aid the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program and its officials to find more missing TB cases and help Nigeria sustain an upward trajectory for TB case-finding in line with global targets; the USAID has donated $3.3m worth of commodities to the Program as part of a broader ‘New Tools Project-Nigeria’.
USAID Mission Director Anne Patterson said in a statement on Monday that the agency is committed to working closely with the Government of Nigeria in expanding early detection and reducing the number of TB cases in the country.
The donation included 38 Trunat machines for molecular tests to diagnose TB and drug-resistant TB with 80,000 testing reagents and 10 high-tech portable digital x-ray systems with computer-aided detection software for use in hard-to-reach areas.
These new tools will be implemented in 18 states in the country through the USAID Tuberculosis Local Organizations Network activity.”
Nigeria is one of seven countries receiving the package of screening, diagnostic and treatment tools. The others are Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines and Vietnam.