For 39-year-old Ms. Chioma Ifeanyi, tuberculosis was not just a disease of the lungs; it was a test of resilience against stigma.
“When people hear tuberculosis, they immediately think you are contagious forever. Some neighbours stopped visiting me when they heard about my diagnosis,” Chioma said.
Chioma, a mother of three, who lives in Kubwa, Abuja, began experiencing persistent fatigue and fever in April last year, symptoms she initially dismissed as malaria, reports Daily Trust.
“I treated malaria three times, but nothing changed. I kept losing weight and sweating at night. Eventually, a doctor advised me to do a TB test.
“The diagnosis shocked me. The first thing I thought was: ‘Will people avoid me?’” she said.
Although treatment was free at the public hospital where she received care, Chioma said the emotional toll of stigma was just as difficult as the physical symptoms.
“My family encouraged me to continue the drugs even when I felt weak. Without them, I might have given up,” she said.
For Ezeh Daniella, a student, the stigma initially kept her from seeking help.
“I kept telling myself it was just stress. But I became extremely thin and weak,” she said.
It took persuasion from a friend before she sought medical attention.
“At first, I felt ashamed. I worried about what my classmates would think,” she said.
With treatment and support, she gradually recovered and now shares her story to encourage early diagnosis.
Their experiences reflect a common but often overlooked dimension of tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria: the social isolation many patients endure even while undergoing treatment for a curable disease.
As World TB Day is marked globally today, March 24, survivors, doctors and public health advocates are calling for stronger awareness, early diagnosis and sustained support systems to tackle both the disease and the stigma surrounding it.
Twenty-eight-year-old Bello Tijani knows how physically demanding TB treatment can be. Every morning for nearly three months, he woke before dawn in Bmuko community along Bwari Road, Abuja, swallowing a handful of pills that left a bitter taste lingering for hours.
The medication made him nauseous and weak, but he knew missing even a single dose could mean starting all over again.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria has the highest tuberculosis burden in Africa and ranks sixth globally, with an estimated 467,000 people living with active infections.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), provides free TB testing and treatment nationwide as part of efforts to end the epidemic by 2030.
Yet the burden remains severe. The Knowledge Network for Disease Control and Vigilance (KNCV Nigeria) estimates that about 15 Nigerians die every hour from TB; roughly 347 deaths daily and 125,000 annually.
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that primarily attack the lungs and spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. Although it is both preventable and curable, delayed diagnosis and treatment interruptions continue to hinder control efforts.
For many patients, the journey through treatment is fraught with both physical and emotional challenges.
Thirty-five-year-old commercial driver, Faruk Nako, recalls nearly abandoning his medication due to its side effects.
“The drugs made me dizzy, and I could barely eat. At one point, I told myself, ‘Maybe I should just stop,’” Nako said.
“My doctor explained that if I stopped halfway, the disease could return stronger and even become resistant to the drugs.”
Drug-resistant TB is a growing global concern, occurring when bacteria survive incomplete or incorrect treatment, making the disease harder to cure.
Nako eventually completed the six-month regimen.
“Now I feel strong again. But it was not easy,” he said, adding that more counselling could help patients cope better.
“When you first hear the diagnosis, you are scared. Someone needs to explain what lies ahead.”
A mother of two, Lawal Hassana, said family support played a crucial role in her recovery.
“They reminded me every evening to take my medicine,” she said.
Hassana began experiencing symptoms nearly a year ago, including persistent chest pain and a cough that refused to subside.
“Sometimes I felt so tired I could barely stand,” she said.
After months of uncertainty, she was eventually diagnosed and placed on treatment.
“The doctor assured me that treatment was available and free,” she said.
Still, she described the regimen as demanding.
“You must take the drugs daily, even when you feel better. If you skip doses, the disease may come back.”
Today, Hassana is using her experience to educate others in her community.
“I tell people not to hide their symptoms. TB is treatable if you act early,” she said.
Failure to complete medication biggest setback, says doctor
In a chat with our correspondent, an infectious disease specialist, Dr Ruth Adeniyi, warned that failure to complete tuberculosis (TB) medication remains one of the biggest setbacks to controlling the disease in Nigeria.
“TB treatment is not something you stop once you feel better. The moment symptoms reduce, many patients assume they are cured and abandon their drugs. That is very dangerous,” she said.
According to her, incomplete treatment allows the bacteria to survive and adapt, leading to drug-resistant tuberculosis, which is far more difficult and expensive to treat.
“When TB becomes resistant, the treatment duration is longer, the drugs are harsher, and the chances of recovery are lower,” she explained.
She added that, beyond the risk to individuals, failure to complete treatment also fuels community transmission.
“A patient who stops treatment midway can still spread the infection to others. That is why adherence is not just a personal responsibility; it is a public health priority,” she said.
Adeniyi further stressed that sustained investment in diagnostics and treatment infrastructure remains critical.
Also speaking, a pulmonologist at a government hospital in Abuja, Dr Adamu Gimba, said many patients present at health facilities only after the disease has significantly progressed.
“Most people assume a persistent cough is something minor. By the time they come to the hospital, they have already spent weeks or months treating themselves for other illnesses,” he said.
He stressed that early testing is critical.
“A cough lasting more than two weeks should never be ignored. The earlier TB is detected, the easier it is to treat and the less likely it is to spread to others.”
Gimba added that stigma continues to discourage many people from seeking timely care.
Experts call for expanded access, stronger systems
Speaking with our correspondent, a public health specialist involved in TB control programmes, Dr Tunji Badmus, said awareness campaigns in recent years have improved testing rates.
“More people now understand that TB is curable. But we still have a large number of undiagnosed cases.”
According to him, expanding community screening is essential.
“Many Nigerians live in rural areas where access to diagnostic centres is limited. Mobile testing units and community outreach programmes can help bridge that gap,” he said.
He also stressed the need to integrate TB services into primary healthcare.
An infectious disease specialist, Dr Adeniyi Ruth, said investment in diagnostics and treatment infrastructure remains critical.
WHO seeks increased domestic funding
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for increased domestic funding and stronger case detection to curb the spread of tuberculosis in Nigeria, warning that declining donor support could undermine progress.
WHO Country Representative, Pavel Ursu, said Nigeria must take greater ownership of its TB response through sustained local investment.
He noted that while progress has been made in expanding diagnosis and treatment, about 175,000 TB cases remain undetected annually, fuelling transmission. He added that one untreated case can infect up to 15 others yearly.
“It is important to commit domestic resources towards implementation of TB activities now that there is dwindling funding from traditional donors,” he said, noting that about 71 per cent of TB patients and their households in Nigeria face catastrophic costs.
Ursu described TB as one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, with 1.23 million deaths and 10.7 million infections recorded globally in 2024. In Nigeria, he said, an estimated 510,000 cases occur annually, including 61,000 children.
He added that WHO would continue to support Nigeria with new diagnostic innovations, capacity building for health workers and the development of a new national TB strategic plan for 2027–2031, while collaborating with partners on vaccine development.
FG deploys technology, approves $54m for drugs
The federal government says it is adopting technology and innovation to accelerate the eradication of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
It also said $54 million had been approved for the procurement of drugs, especially for the treatment of TB and HIV, to prevent stock-outs of life-saving medicines.
The Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Charles Nzelu, said the government was making significant strides in addressing challenges in the health sector.
Nzelu said the ministry, under the leadership of Muhammad Pate, had prioritised TB as a major pillar of the national health agenda.
As part of the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (2021–2026), he said the ministry had adopted technology to help eliminate TB as a public health threat in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is rolling out over 1,000 of this diagnostic equipment. But technology is only as strong as the systems that support it.
“We are currently focused on strengthening our electronic reporting systems to ensure real-time data flow from the facility level to the national dashboard,” he said.
