The United States Agency for International Development yesterday said it has donated $3.3 million in commodities to the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health’s National TB and Leprosy Control Programme , as part of a broader ‘New Tools Project-Nigeria’.
A statement issued by the US Embassy said the initiative would help NTBLCP officials find more missing TB cases and help Nigeria sustain an upward trajectory for TB case-finding in line with global targets.
The statement said next year, the new tools promise to provide state-of-the-art screening for 500,000 persons, rapid molecular testing for about 80,000 persons, and ultimately diagnose 10,000 cases for treatment referral. These new tools will be implemented in 18 states in the country through the USAID Tuberculosis Local Organisations Network activity.
According to the statement, Nigeria is one of the seven countries receiving the package of screening, diagnostic, and treatment tools. The others are Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, and Vietnam.