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The World Health Organization, WHO, has warned that Niger State may face a serious tuberculosis crisis by June if urgent funding and supplies are not provided by the state government.
Speaking during a press briefing in Minna to mark the 2026 World Tuberculosis Day, the WHO National Professional Officer for TB in the North Central Zone, Dr. Hananiya Dauda, said only 8 percent of the expected 18 percent funding has been accessed.
Dauda cautioned that failure to release funds could lead to a major gap in TB testing and treatment across the state.
He stated, “By June, we may not have commodities in the state if they fail to provide funds for drugs and testing,” adding that the situation could severely affect TB control efforts.
Earlier, the Niger State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Bagana, identified declining international donor funding since 2025 as a major challenge threatening progress toward the global goal of eliminating TB by 2030.
Bagana, who was represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr. Abdullahi Usman, assured that the state government remains committed to strengthening its TB and Leprosy Control Programme to achieve elimination targets.
He disclosed that as of 2025, the state recorded 127,410 presumptive TB cases, of which 126,228 were tested, while 14,908 cases were confirmed.
According to him, 8,629 patients have been successfully treated using diagnostic tools such as GeneXpert, Truenat, T-LAMP, and PDX machines.
Also speaking, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Ibrahim Idris, said that while the state has adequate clinical personnel, low uptake of BCG vaccination among newborns could contribute to future TB cases if not addressed.
He stressed the need to strengthen immunization coverage to prevent a resurgence of the disease in the coming years.
