Tuberculosis cases were recorded in the country in 2011, out of which 27,000 persons died.
The minister, who disclosed this in Abuja, on Friday, at the commemoration of the 2013 World Tuberculosis Day also said Nigeria is listed among 22 high burden countries in the world,.
He stated that Nigeria contributed 80 per cent of the estimated 8.7 million new Tuberculosis (TB) cases globally in 2012.
TB situation in the country, according to the minister is made worse by challenges of HIV co-infection, drug-resistant TB and TB among children.
“The number of TB cases notified in the country has been on the increase over the years with about 97,799 TB cases notified in 2012. 81,156 of these cases (83 per cent) were tested for HIV with positivity rate of 26 per cent,” he said.
The staggering revelation notwithstanding, the minister assured that the federal government is fully committed to providing substantial human and financial resources to tackle the disease in the country, including forging “new, strong partnerships to implement innovative strategies for the control of TB.”
The minister, who also appealed to individuals and families to contribute to the fight against TB, said: “You can contribute to TB control efforts by identifying and encouraging anyone who has cough of more than two weeks duration to go for TB screening and supporting those on TB treatment to complete their full course of treatment which normally lasts six months.”
He noted that in an effort to improve quality of care for TB patients in the country, about 83 per cent of them were screened for HIV in 2012.
