By Yunus S Saliu
As people gathered to celebrate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on Monday, Dr. Momodou T Nyassi has called for increased funding for research and innovation to develop better diagnostic tools, vaccines, and treatments, noting that “Resources should also be allocated to improve health care infrastructure, train healthcare professionals, and enhance public awareness campaigns.”
Dr. Momodou T Nyassi, Director of Health Services, MOH speaking on behalf of Hon. Minister of Health to commemorate World TB Day said “Every dollar invested in TB control saves lives and reduces the financial burden on families and healthcare systems.”
World TB Day commemoration was organized by the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Program (NLTP) of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with partners.
Celebrating the day under the theme ‘Yes, we can end TB Commit, Invest, Deliver, Dr. Nyassi said the day is meant to serve as both a challenge and a rallying cry and highlighted collective responsibility to take decisive steps towards eliminating TB.
Dilating further on the theme, ‘deliver,’ he said “Our commitments and investments must translate into tangible actions. We must ensure that TB services are accessible, affordable, and effective.” He stated that strengthening early detection and treatment is crucial and must address multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) with urgency.
On ‘commit’ and ‘invest,’ he affirmed that ending TB requires strong commitment at all levels of governments, health institutions, private sectors, and communities. So, “we must dedicate ourselves to strengthening policies that prioritize TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, healthcare workers, researchers, and policymakers must collaborate to ensure that no one is left behind.” He continued that “investing in TB control is not just a health priority but also a moral and economic imperative.”
However, he commended the NLTP for their outstanding efforts.
Welcoming everyone to the event, Marie Bass Gomez, Program Manager NLTP emphasized that tuberculosis is a preventable and curable disease that still affects millions worldwide saying it reminded of the urgent need for action, innovation, and collaboration in the fight against TB.
Dr. Nathan Bakyaita of WHO highlighted that TB remains a major global health challenge, causing 1.2 million deaths annually despite progress made in prevention and control, “it continues to impact millions worldwide.”
“TB,” he said, “in The Gambia continued to pose a significant threat, though the incidence of TB has declined from 153 to 145 cases per 100,000 populations between 2020 and 2022.”
However, the mortality rate excluding those with HIV co-infection has risen from 21 to 26 per 100,000, saying this is calling for urgent interventions.
Speaking on the shifting dynamics of TB care and management, Dr Abdou K Sillah, Research Clinician, TB Platform at the MRC Unit The Gambia reiterated that World TB Day is observed on 24th March each year, and it is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease.
In 2023, he said, 10.8 million people fell ill with TB, and 1.25 million died from the disease mostly in low and middle-income countries.
“There is an urgent need to commit, invest, and deliver in the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious disease which continues to affect millions leading to severe loss of lives, and social and catastrophic consequences,” he explained.
Over the year, he stated, MRCG@LSHTM has been conducting high-impact scientific TB research with meaningful contributions to knowledge and practices in The Gambia and globally.
Muhammed Lamin Darboe delivered a PowerPoint presentation discussing the theme for 2025 and reflected on the understanding that end TB, its fact sheet, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms of TB, prevention and treatment, TB epidemiology-The Gambia 2024, and others.
The commemoration took the form of a press briefing and was held at the NLTP office in Kanifing.
