Tuberculosis: over 25,000 cases recorded in Cameroon in 2022
According to the National Tuberculosis Program (PNLT), 25,286 cases of tuberculosis in all forms were recorded in 2022, 5.3% of cases in children, and 174 cases of multi-resistant tuberculosis. The total number of cases also included 545 prison inmates.
The information was revealed by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Manaouda Malachie during a press conference held on March 23 in Yaounde in prelude to the world tuberculosis day commemorated every March 24th.
The Minister stated that the figures are alarming saying it is incomprehensible that the disease continues to wreck havoc while a vaccine is available and free in the country.
“Despite the many initiatives that have significantly reduced the impact of the disease on the population, the country still remains in a worrying situation,” he stated.
The 30th edition of World Tuberculosis Day will be celebrated under the theme “Yes! We can put an end to tuberculosis”.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), published in 2022, every day, more than 4,000 people die of tuberculosis and 30,000 people contract this disease with a mortality rate of 30 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The Minister used the opportunity of the commemoration to plead for a consequent mobilization of funds from Its financial partners and urged his collaborators to continue the fight to defeat this disease.
He also unveiled the government’s strategic plan in the fight against the disease and to eradicate it by 2035. This consists of searching for and treating all people with tuberculosis, accelerating the reduction of new infections by intensifying preventive treatment, and the improvement of healthcare.
