FCTA FLAGS OFF NATIONAL INTEGRATED CHILDHOOD TB/HIV TESTING WEEK
…COMMITS TO CLOSING DETECTION AND TREATMENT GAP
By Prudence Okonna and Khadijat Kawunda
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has renewed its commitment to closing the childhood tuberculosis (TB) detection and treatment gap.
Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, made the commitment at the official flag-off of the National Integrated Childhood TB/HIV Testing Week on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, at Kuchingoro Primary Health Centre, Abuja.
Dr Fasawe, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, HSES, Babagana Adam, emphasised that childhood TB remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria. She noted that in 2023, an estimated 58,000 childhood TB cases were recorded nationwide, but only 11 per cent were notified.
According to the Mandate Secretary, in the FCT, children accounted for just 7 per cent of notified cases in 2024, a figure she described as “unacceptably low”.
She explained that the testing week, mandated by the National TB and Leprosy Control Program (NTBLCP), will run from September 22–28, 2025, across all six Area Councils of the FCT.
“The goal is to flag off hope; hope for early diagnosis, timely treatment, reduced stigma, and healthier futures for our children,” she said.
While linking the initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, she also acknowledged the advocacy of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the support of the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, in prioritising the health of FCT residents.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Babagana Adam, stressed that the initiative aims to close detection gaps, ensure timely treatment, and strengthen a people-centred health system.
He therefore commended the FCTA Public Health Department, FCT-TBLCP, NTBLCP, civil society, and development partners for their support.
Also speaking, the Acting Director, Public Health Department, HSES, FCTA, Dr Dan Gadzama noted that tuberculosis is not limited to adults alone but also affects Children and animals. Adding that it can be transmitted from humans to animals and vice versa.
However, he stressed that children remain particularly vulnerable, and unfortunately, childhood TB cases are highly underrepresented in national health statistics.
Dr Gadzama revealed that despite the 2023 report of 58,000 childhood TB cases in Nigeria, a large number still go undiagnosed, untreated, and unreported, leaving many children at risk.
While underscoring the urgent need to close the detection gap in childhood TB. He said the choice of Kuchingoro as the flag-off site was deliberate, reflecting FCTA’s commitment to far-reaching communities with high disease burdens.
The Director urged caregivers, parents, and community leaders to encourage testing, ensure treatment adherence, and help dispel myths about TB and HIV.
He also emphasised that treatment is free across all FCT Healthcare Centres, urging residents to report to the authorities if they are charged for treatment.
The Programme Manager, FCT Tuberculosis Control Programme, Dr Garba Abdulazeez, also emphasised the urgent need for early detection of childhood tuberculosis, noting that many children continue to suffer because their cases are not diagnosed on time.
He explained that delayed diagnosis not only increases the risk of complications and death but also allows the disease to spread within families and communities.
Dr Abdulazeez stressed that the FCTA, through the ongoing Integrated Childhood TB/HIV Testing Week, is determined to reach children wherever they are, whether in schools, communities, orphanages, or underserved settlements across the six Area Councils.
According to him, no child will be left behind, regardless of their social or economic status, and he called on community members to support the initiative by breaking the barriers of stigma associated with TB and HIV.
Stigma, he noted, often prevents families from bringing children forward for testing and treatment, thereby worsening the problem. By reducing stigma and increasing awareness, he said, communities can play a vital role in ensuring that children access the care they need.
In a goodwill message, the Coordinator, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), Kemi Ayodele, said that the testing is being held across the thirty-six states of the Federation, stressing the importance of early detection: “If a child is not eating well or not breathing well, bring that child for a test.” She explained.
Ayodele noted that this is the third year of the National Testing Week, but the first time it is being integrated to include HIV and malaria testing.
Other partners present at the flag-off include the World Health Organisation (WHO), Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), and the Association for Family Health (AFH), among others.
Abuja Digest reports that Tuberculosis is a preventable, treatable, and curable bacterial infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium that typically affects the lungs but can also spread to other parts of the body. It spreads through coughing, sneezing, and spitting.
The goal of the initiative is geared towards meeting the national target of 15 per cent childhood TB testing in Nigeria.
