Say continent needs N910b yearly for prevention, and treatment to meet 2030 targetThe AU and WHO, on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Lomé, Togo, said the African region requires at least $1.3 billion for tuberculosis prevention and treatment every year, yet countries contribute 22 per cent of the needed budget, while external funding accounts for 34 per cent. The rest of the budget remains unfunded.
The partners called on African countries to prioritise funding for tuberculosis prevention and control and allocate sufficient financial, technical and human resources to accelerate progress towards ending the disease in children and adolescents. According to the statement, the low detection of tuberculosis arises from challenges in specimen collection as well as bacteriological confirmation of the disease among children who can display non-specific clinical symptoms that overlap those of other common childhood diseases.