The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday raised an alarm over what it termed an “increasing rate of Tuberculosis (TB) infection in Borno.”
The organisation’s Head of Mission/Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, expressed the organisation’s concern during the North-East Nigeria 13th WHO End-Term Joint Operations Review (JOR) in Yola.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria that often affects the lungs.
NAN also reports that JOR is for Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
The country representative, however, assured WHO’s readiness to work with the Borno government to address the problem.
He 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 the 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, Gov. 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.
