Hope Mafaranga

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have signed a grant agreement to fund universal treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in Niger, a country with one of the worst rates of TB in West Africa.   A new two-year Global Fund grant of 10 million euros will allow the population of Niger, estimated at around 17 million, to access quality TB diagnosis and treatment services. The grant will expand and enhance TB services for more than 26,000 people in 200 treatment centres by 2015, targeting vulnerable populations, including those in nomadic communities, migrant groups and prisons.   TB is a major global health concern, killing 1.3 million people every year and infecting a further 8.6 million, despite being an entirely preventable and curable disease. In Niger, while overall numbers of people with TB have fallen in recent years, incidence of the disease is still high. The vast majority of TB