The aim of the rapid advice is to provide updated guidance on diagnosis and treatment of child and adolescent TB to healthcare workers (HCWs) at all levels to improve access to child TB diagnosis and treatment.
The 2021 National Strategic Framework for TB/HIV collaborative activities is a five-chapter document that serves as a policy guide for the implementation of TB/HIV collaborative activities in Nigeria. It highlights the desired structure and mechanisms for effective collaboration between the two programs
TB and HIV constitute major public health problems in Nigeria. The burden of these diseases is further compounded by the impact they have on each other; HIV fuels the burden of TB while TB on the other hand is the commonest infection among People Living with HIV (PLHIV). The interaction between these two diseases increases the morbidity and mortality among TB/HIV co- infected patients and also stretches the already challenged infrastructure of the health sector.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
This Compendium narrows down the best practices that yielded results in the states bringing out the applied strategies that made the difference in each intervention.
While Nigeria has made great strides in the implementation of TPT for TB contacts for the last 20 years, and TPT for PLHIV since 2010, the country is still lagging behind in reaching the global targets endorsed by member countries at the United Nations High Level meeting.
People in custodial centres in Nigeria face several unmet needs for their health challenges including medical care for HIV, tuberculosis dermatological conditions, pregnancy care, amongst other conditions. Referral services for health care and continuity of services is also a challenge. According to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (also known as the “Nelson Mandela rules”), prisoners should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community and should have access to necessary health-care services free of charge without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status.
The NTBLCP Strategic Plan 2021–2025 aims to accelerate efforts at ending the TB epidemic in Nigeria by ensuring access to comprehensive and high-quality patient-centred and community-owned TB services for all Nigerians.
In the current NTBLCP National Strategy Plan 2021-2025, the programme has identified some crucial areas from which interventions will be developed that will help address the major challenges militating against achieving the programme’s targets. All these will be supported by strengthening the health system and programme management with enough financial resources and removing barriers to service.
