The Ministry of Health launched the guidelines for Management of Latent Tuberculosis (TB) Infection during the 2019 World TB Day commemoration to strengthen the treatment of the disease at primary care level. The guidelines are meant to contribute to further reduction of TB cases in the country and support efforts towards its elimination. Although TB is preventable and curable, it has continued to be a major cause of ill-health and death in the country. The disease is also the commonest opportunistic infection among people living with HIV.

Yambio, 25 March 2019 – The Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners launched a reactive yellow fever (YF) vaccination campaign in Sakure, Nzara County, Gbudue State to vaccinate 19 578 individuals aged 9 months to 65 years against YF.

The vaccination campaign follows the declaration of a yellow fever outbreak on 29 November 2018, where a total of three laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths have been reported after investigations were carried out in Sakure payam.

Abuja, 23 March, 2019 - As Nigeria prepares to commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on 24 March 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) has engaged over 12,000 community informants to find ‘missing cases’. The 2018 TB report reveals that 4.3 million are missed globally and Nigeria contributes 8% of this.

Abuja 21 March 2019 – In 2018, insecticide treated nets were distributed by well-meaning individuals in Jigawa and Katsina State. However, the nets were poorly distributed and it caused a lot of discontent in the two states. As a result, caregivers such as Aishatu Mani refused to take her four month old for immunizations. “I am not happy I didn’t get a mosquito net, for this reason, I will not take my child for vaccination,” she told the community health workers. 

Vaccine hesitancy is one of the major challenges facing the immunisation programme in Nigeria.