Prevalence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) in Minna and Suleja Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of tuberculosis in Minna and Suleja area of Niger State. The Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Minna and Suleja areas of Niger State was studied using standard microscopic technique and sputa culturing procedure. Ziehl Neelsen’s staining technique was used to determine the presence of acid fast bacilli (bacteriologically confirmed cases of sputum smear-positive tuberculosis). The isolation of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) from sputa of Patients that comes with complain of pulmonary distress for two weeks and above to the general hospitals. A total of six hundred (600) patients below 80 years of age were screened and enrolled for this study. The percentage prevalence of the physical appearance the sputa revealed that muco-purulent (20.0%), purulent (10.8%), mucoid (14.2%), and salivary (46.6%). The study revealed that 25.5% (153/600) of the studied participants were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most affected age group was between 11-40 years with the percentage prevalence of 81.6% compared with the age group between 41-0 years. Male Patients had a higher prevalence at 60.1%, compared to 39.9% in females. The statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant difference with respect to gender and age (p < 0.05). The high prevalence of PTB among the subjects is greatly concerned by public health and it can be partially attributed to the poor socio-economic factor, overcrowding, social habits, and unavailability of clean portable water and lack of adequate sanitary condition.