The World Health Organisation said Nigeria had significantly increased its national Tuberculosis case finding by 50 percent in 2021 using innovative approaches.

The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, made this known in her message in commemoration of World TB Day.

World TB Day is marked yearly on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of this preventable disease and call for accelerated action to end it.

This year’s theme, ‘Yes, we can end TB’, highlights the need to ensure equitable access to prevention and care, in line with the drive towards Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Moeti said it was important to find and diagnose cases of TB so that the patients can be treated, and their contacts offered preventive medication.

“Nigeria is an example of a country that managed to significantly increase national TB case finding by 50 percent in 2021 using innovative approaches such as the expansion of the daily observed treatment protocols, use of digital technologies, Community Active Case Finding, and enlisting Public Private Mix initiatives.

“TB requires concerted action by all sectors: from communities and businesses to governments, civil society, and others,” she said in a press statement.

She said the African Region was on the threshold of reaching a 35 percent TB death reduction as there had been a 26 percent reduction in TB deaths between 2015 and 2021.

“Seven countries — Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, South Soudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia—have reached a 35 percent reduction in deaths since 2015,” she noted.

She, however, decried the challenges in TB prevention and control.

Old TB vaccine works better when injected into a vein —Researchers

“First, the delayed diagnosis and testing. There is still a notable gap between the estimated number of new infections and case notifications of TB: 40 percent of people living with TB did not know of their diagnosis or it was not reported in 2021. One million people are living with TB in the region and have not been detected.

“Second, the link between TB and HIV. Approximately 20 percent of people newly diagnosed with TB are also living with HIV infection.

“Third, the multi-drug resistant TB. In the African region, only 26 percent of all people living with multi-drug resistance are receiving the appropriate treatment.”

Meanwhile, she hailed the member states for the increasing uptake of new tools and guidance recommended by WHO, resulting in early access to TB prevention and care, and better outcomes.

“In the African Region, the use of rapid diagnostic testing has increased from 34 percent in 2020 to 43 percent in 2021, which will improve countries’ ability to detect and diagnose new cases of the disease.

“We must work together to develop innovative approaches to reach vulnerable populations and ensure that they have access to quality TB care and management.

“The second UN High-level Meeting on TB in September 2023 will provide a rare opportunity to give global visibility to the disease and mobilize high-level political commitment to end TB.

“Ending TB is feasible with the decline in TB deaths and cases, and the elimination of economic and social burdens associated with it.

“Especially today, I urge leaders, governments, partners, communities, and all stakeholders to urgently foster the resilient health systems required to accelerate the TB response so that we can reach the Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2030. Yes, we can end TB in our lifetime,” she added.

Do not be deceived. Not all the curvy hips and attractive backsides you see out there are natural. While some come by liposuction, others are through tireless fitness exercises. But the shocking revelation is that all these methods now appear outdated. A new syrup is in town. Just a mere sip and the hips, and massive backsides sprout out. That is the beauty of the new age and a restless generation.

Few years back, women took to exercising, due to the increasing cost of cosmetic surgery and loss of confidence in Nigerian cosmetic surgeons.

The gyms were flooded with women trying to work on their hips, buttocks and breast sizes, as various videos on exercises to flatten the tummy, and increase buttocks and hips flooded YouTube.

However, Economy&Lifestyle discovered that due to the cost, time and intensity of exercise to get those curves, women now go for weight gain syrup.

This might be a surprise because your thought is that they visit the gym to slim down.

According to Mr. Adeji Oluwseyi, a laboratory scientist: “These weight gain syrups are supplements and aids buttocks, breasts and hips enlargements, while the belly remains flat.

“These syrups increase calories. Consuming enough calories from foods alone is difficult, especially for those who don’t have much of an appetite.

“The syrup contains mainly yeast supplements like alcoholic catalysts, not organic alcohol, and you know what yeast does.

“It increases or blows things out of proportion.

“These syrups also do other things apart from adding weight, it increases libido but the downside is that it also causes infertility.

“That is why you see many women having an increased urge for sex resulting in the increased rates of infidelity in marriages because some of their partners cannot satisfy their sexual urge.”

Nigerian women are always conscious of their looks, especially their shapes.

Even the older ones are not left out of this beauty race. They adopt all forms of measures to look good, including body enhancers such as cosmetic surgeries, injections, exercising, drugs and other organic components.

 Miss. Toyosi Gbadegesin, an undergraduate said:” I use a particular weight gain syrup which is a herbal supplement sold at N4,000 compared to N20,000 I used to register at a gym to keep my shapes.

“I wanted to cut costs by all means and look good at the same time.

“I complained to a friend about my ordeal of going to the gym four times a week and she introduced me to the weight gain syrup which she was using. I was shocked because I thought she was still visiting the gym.

“At first I thought of the health risk but decided to give it a try when I saw the effect in most of my friends.

“As you can see, it has tightened, enlarged and given me well-shaped buttocks, hips and breasts.

“It is a supplement that does other things apart from body enhancement.”

Mr. Lanre Oshodi, an architect, narrating his experience with his ex-girlfriend who was using weight gain syrup said:” I had a girlfriend that was very skinny but I loved her that way. All of a sudden her buttocks, hips and breast started increasing. I asked her what she was using but she refused to tell me.

“The day I discovered she was using drugs to enhance her body, I had to end the relationship.

“I don’t know what damage she might have done to her body using such drugs and I don’t want her to end up in my house before the aftermath of her action starts reflecting. In such a scenario I would be the one running helter-skelter for a solution.”

Mr. David Moyosore, a gym instructor, noted that many women running to the gym are there to cover their hip dips which are more noticeable during the postpartum stage.

According to him, there is no one specific cause of hip dips because they appear due to body type, bone structure, and body fat distribution.

He added: “Exercises like squats, curtsey lunges and step downs, banded lateral walks and clamshells, side leg raises, fire hydrants among others would help get rid of hip dips and increase/shape butts alongside the hips.

“Getting rid of belly fat and increasing butts and breast size doesn’t go with exercise alone. There are also types of foods you will need to consume to stay healthy and not lose shape.

“Having all these ready requires a good amount of money, time and dedication.

“To achieve great curves workouts shouldn’t exceed six to ten months and with a budget of N200, 000 to N300, 000 including dieting.

“Now we don’t have many female clients who visit the gym as before. The gym is now scanty.

“Most ladies are looking for quicker and cheaper means to get their curves. That is why they are now going for all these body enhancement drugs which are quite not safe for the body and the producers won’t tell them so.”

Confirming the influx of women patronizing weight gain syrup, Economy & Lifestyle discovered that social media is now filled with sponsored advertisements of various types of weight gain syrups with women making orders for them and only looking at the benefits, not the risk.

These drugs include Apetamin syrup, Oraxin syrup, Dynewell syrup and other herbal syrups.

The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Orji Innocent, raised the alarm over the huge number of members of the association moving out of the country for greener pastures, saying that the association has lost over 2,000 members in the last two years.

He said if the situation is not tackled, it may degenerate to a point where Nigerians would wake up one day and discover there are no more doctors in the hospitals.

Innocent raised the concern on Saturday while fielding questions from journalists after the presentation of a communiqué issued at the end of the association’s conference in Uyo.

He said a survey conducted in December revealed that over 2,000 members left for greener pastures.

Meanwhile, in the communiqué, the association called for increased budgetary funding of the healthcare sector in the country, to the tune of 15 per cent annual budgetary allocation to improve the quality of healthcare delivery.

The communiqué read in part, “The National Executive Council welcomes the committee set up by the Federal Government to mitigate the brain drain in the health sector.

“The association urges a speedy conclusion of the task and immediate implementation of their recommendations to improve healthcare service delivery and reduce the emigration of skilled healthcare workers from the country.

“NEC calls for increased funding of the healthcare sector in the country, to the tune of 15 per cent annual budgetary allocation in line with the 2001 Abuja Declaration for healthcare financing in Africa and global best practices as well as the digitalisation of the healthcare services to improve the quality of healthcare delivery to Nigerian citizens.”

The President said NEC urged the Chief Medical Directors of tertiary hospitals in the country to take responsibility for security in their various hospitals as NARD would no longer continue to watch her members being assaulted by staff members, patients, relatives or security operatives.

He said the association called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate and arrest the perpetrators of the illegal shooting of one of its members in Delta and to ensure they are adequately punished to serve as a deterrent to others.