Lagos intensifies fight against tuberculosis with awareness campaign, symposium
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday intensified its fight against Tuberculosis (TB) with a large-scale awareness walk and symposium to mark the 2026 World Tuberculosis Day, reaffirming its commitment to ending the disease through collective action.
The event, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Office of the First Lady TB Steering Committee, began with an awareness walk around the State Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, drawing participation from stakeholders, healthcare workers, students, and community advocates.
Participants sensitised residents on TB prevention, early detection, and treatment adherence.
The walk ended with a symposium at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, where policymakers, health experts, and partners reviewed progress and outlined strategies to eliminate TB in Lagos.
In her keynote address, the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, called for intensified awareness and innovative strategies, noting that TB is preventable and curable. She urged grassroots workers to act as “foot soldiers” in spreading accurate information and advocated early student engagement to curb misinformation.
She warned that incomplete treatment could lead to drug-resistant TB requiring up to 18 months of care, while also calling for sustainable funding models, including trust funds and integration of TB services into health insurance schemes. She expressed concern that only about 16,000 of the estimated 30,000 TB cases in Lagos have been detected.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, described TB as a major public health concern due to its airborne nature and Lagos’ dense population, noting that the state records about 24,000 cases annually, with many undiagnosed.
He also stressed adherence to Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) to prevent drug-resistant TB and called for an end to stigma, which discourages patients from seeking care.
