Posted on: Wed 26-03-2025

With the recent halt in USAID funding, is Nigeria facing a widening gap in its tuberculosis (TB) budget and control strategies? Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has raised concerns over the financial strain caused by the policy shift, which previously supported the detection of nearly 50% of TB cases in Nigeria.

At a ministerial press briefing in Abuja to mark 2025 World TB Day, Prof. Pate emphasized that TB remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria. With an estimated 10.8 million cases worldwide in 2023, Nigeria accounts for approximately 4.6% of these cases, placing it among the high-burden TB countries. Additionally, the country ranks among the 10 nations grappling with a triple burden of TB, drug-resistant TB, and HIV-associated TB.

 

What Steps is the Government Taking?

With the USAID funding gap creating pressure on Nigeria’s TB response, what interventions are being put in place? The Minister highlighted several ongoing efforts, including:

• Training over 60,000 PHC staff to provide integrated TB services at the community level.
• Expanding rapid molecular testing platforms to strengthen TB detection.
• Routine TB screening now available in all tertiary and many secondary health facilities, with over 500 high-burden PHCs contributing to TB case notifications.
• Deployment of 400 mobile digital X-ray units equipped with AI technology across all 36 states and the FCT, prioritizing key and vulnerable populations.
• Expansion of TB treatment services, increasing DOTS centres from 12,606 in 2019 to approximately 23,000 in 2024, covering 57% of health facilities nationwide.

 

Are Critical Gaps Still Hindering Nigeria’s TB Response?

Despite these measures, challenges persist. Could the stock-out of essential TB medications and testing materials further derail Nigeria’s progress? Prof. Pate acknowledged that GeneXpert cartridges for TB testing, Category-1 (CAT-1) TB medications, and leprosy treatments remain in short supply—an issue that is not only local but part of a global challenge.

Furthermore, could socioeconomic factors such as poverty, malnutrition, and overcrowding be exacerbating the spread of TB? Ms. Uzoma Nwofor, Senior Communications Manager at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), pointed out that these underlying issues continue to fuel TB transmission across the country.

 

What Lies Ahead?

With these challenges in mind, can the government’s expanded efforts effectively bridge the funding gap and sustain Nigeria’s TB control programs? What additional support is needed from international partners and the private sector?

As Nigeria strives to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and a TB-free future, will the current interventions be enough to mitigate the impact of halted USAID funding? Or will urgent alternative funding sources be required to sustain progress in TB control and prevention?

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