TB testing week: Misconception regarding covid shouldn’t drive people from testing for TB

NIGERIANS have been told that misconceptions regarding COVID-19 shouldn’t drive people away from testing for Tuberculosis because a cough due to Tuberculosis is quite different from the COVID-19 variant.

Mrs Abimbola Oyebamiji, Monitoring and Evaluation officer of the Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control unit of the  Oyo state Ministry, speaking at Bodija market, during the 2020 National Tuberculosis testing week campaign in Ibadan, said that coughing is a sign of something wrong in the body and cough due to TB, unlike that from COVID -19, will produce sputum.

The week-long campaign to major markets in Ibadan by the USAID Breakthrough Action Nigeria was in collaboration with the Oyo State Ministry of Health and leaders of Araromi Motor Spare-parts market, Bola Ige International market, and Bodija International market.

Mrs Oyebamji stated that Nigerians need not be afraid to test for TB when coughing persistently for more than two weeks because its test and treatment are free and available in all primary healthcare facilities across the state and do not require people to be placed in an isolated centre as many misconstrue.

“Not all coughs produce sputum but when you have TB, it produces sputum and that is why the sensitisation that people shouldn’t be afraid to come out and to test when there is persistent coughing.

“Aside from coughing for more than two weeks, we also look for other symptoms associated with TB like night sweats, fever for more than two weeks, coughing of blood, chest pain, weight loss and tiredness.

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“These other symptoms are quite different from what is seen in people with COVID-19 and this campaign is to let people know that they need to test and if positive for TB, we don’t need to isolate such people before they are treated.”

Earlier, Oyo State Team lead for USAID BAN-Nigeria, Mrs Oluwatoyin Afachung, said that it was important that Nigerians become aware of issues about their health and that the programme was aimed to increase TB cases finding to achieve the 2035 target to end TB.

According to her, “the USAID Breakthrough Action Nigeria project is supporting what is called the “Check-Am-O” campaign to give a loud voice to the TB campaign. It means, if you are not sure, go and check.”