By Bilkis Abdulraheem Lawal
For Abubakar Asoro, tuberculosis did not begin with a diagnosis.
It began with uncertainty.
After experiencing symptoms, Asoro said he visited hospitals twice in Lagos but struggled to see doctors because of overcrowding and what he described as the nonchalant attitude of some health workers.
Unable to find an immediate explanation for his condition, he eventually travelled to Kwara State, believing that his illness might have a spiritual cause.
But a religious leader redirected him to a hospital.
There, Asoro discovered that the problem was not spiritual. He had tuberculosis.
His experience highlights one of the challenges confronting efforts to end tuberculosis in Nigeria: people may delay seeking appropriate medical care because of misconceptions, difficulty accessing health services or barriers within the healthcare system.
For health experts and TB survivors, however, technology is emerging as one tool that could help close some of these gaps.
As the world marks World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, the focus is on how digital public infrastructure and other digital health technologies can support earlier diagnosis, improve treatment monitoring and help connect people to care.
The 2026 World TB Day theme, “Yes! We can end TB! Led by countries. Powered by people,” is a call for stronger country leadership, investment, innovation and people-centred action to end the disease.
A disease that still kills millions
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body, including the spine, brain and kidneys.
It spreads through the air when people with TB cough, sneeze or spit.
Although TB is preventable and curable, it remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
The World Health Organization estimates that 10.7 million people fell ill with TB globally in 2024, while 1.23 million people died from the disease. The African Region accounted for about a quarter of global TB cases.
According to the WHO Regional Office for Africa, about 2.7 million people developed TB in the African Region in 2024, while 378,000 died. Despite the burden, the region has made progress: between 2015 and 2024, TB incidence fell by 28 per cent and deaths declined by 46 per cent.
Nigeria remains one of the countries carrying a significant share of the global burden. WHO’s latest data places Nigeria among the eight countries accounting for about two-thirds of global TB cases, with the country contributing approximately 4.8 per cent of global cases in 2024.
Yet the number of people officially diagnosed and notified still does not capture everyone who develops the disease.
WHO says that globally, 8.3 million people were diagnosed and officially notified with TB in 2024, representing about 78 per cent of the estimated number of people who developed the disease. The gap reflects people who remain undiagnosed or whose diagnoses are not reported to national authorities. Nigeria was among the countries with some of the largest gaps between estimated incidence and notifications. (World Health Organization)
This is where technology could make a difference.
Bringing diagnosis closer and faster
At the WHO African Regional Office, TB Technical Officer Dr Abena Jean in an exclusive interview, says digital systems are increasingly being integrated into health systems across the continent with WHO support.
One area where technology is already making an impact is diagnosis.
Dr Jean said WHO has released guidance on artificial intelligence-supported diagnostic approaches, including AI-powered X-ray systems that can assist in identifying TB more quickly without necessarily requiring a radiologist to be physically present.
The technology can help identify patients who require further testing, while laboratory-based molecular tools can be used to confirm diagnosis.
The potential benefit is significant: reducing delays between a person developing symptoms, being screened, receiving a diagnosis and starting treatment.
But digital technology is not limited to diagnosis.
Dr Jean explained that electronic systems can also help health workers record and track patients throughout the treatment process.
“The systems are used to record and track patients, as well as send reminder messages to patients to come for medication and diagnostics,” she said.
“They are also used to process results of TB testing, including molecular tools, and put patients on treatment almost immediately.”
She added that such systems operate within legal frameworks intended to protect patients’ privacy and maintain data sovereignty in countries where they are deployed.
According to Dr Jean, electronic registers and mobile phones also make it easier to contact patients, monitor medication refills and keep track of appointments.
The result, she said, is greater room for a more patient-centred approach to TB care.
When technology meets a real patient
For Asoro, these innovations are not simply abstract technological solutions.
He believes they could help prevent other people from going through the uncertainty he experienced before his diagnosis.
He said technology can help health authorities discover people with TB earlier, support their treatment and ultimately reduce transmission.
One tool he highlighted is the OneImpact App, which he said allows people to answer a number of questions and gain an indication of their health status before visiting a health facility for proper testing and treatment.
For patients already receiving treatment, simple digital interventions can also be valuable.
Asoro applauded the use of reminder messages to encourage patients to return for their medicines, saying such reminders can help people remain connected to treatment.
But he believes technology must be accompanied by community education.
In particular, he called for greater engagement with traditional and spiritual leaders.
For Asoro, this is crucial because many people trust the advice of their religious or community leaders. If such leaders understand tuberculosis and its symptoms, they can help direct people to health facilities rather than allowing misconceptions about spiritual causes to delay diagnosis.
His own experience illustrates why.
A delay in recognising TB as a medical condition can mean a delay in treatment, and potentially continued transmission within the community.
Beyond diagnosis
Another TB survivor, Jones Ihemenam, who is also the Executive Director of Rhoda’s Haven Network for Women Living with HIV/AIDS, said Nigeria has already adopted technological tools to support TB detection and treatment.
He identified GeneXpert and portable digital X-ray among the technologies being used in the country’s TB response.
GeneXpert is a molecular diagnostic technology capable of detecting TB and identifying resistance to rifampicin, an important first-line TB medicine. Digital X-ray systems, meanwhile, can support screening and diagnosis, particularly where access to radiology services is limited.
Ihemenam stressed that technology must be increasingly deployed to strengthen the fight against TB, not only in Nigeria but across Africa.
He also pointed to the role of mobile communication in treatment adherence.
According to him, treatment centres and support organisations send messages to patients reminding them to return for their medicines.
For someone undergoing a lengthy course of treatment, such seemingly simple interventions can make the difference between remaining engaged with care and dropping out.
Technology is not the whole solution
The promise of digital public infrastructure is considerable, but technology cannot by itself end tuberculosis.
The barriers that contributed to Asoro’s experience, overcrowded health facilities, difficulties accessing health workers, misconceptions and reliance on spiritual explanations, cannot be solved by an app or an electronic register alone.
WHO’s 2026 campaign stresses that TB services must be accessible, affordable, stigma-free and community-driven, with people affected by TB playing an active role in the response.
Stigma is another challenge.
Both Asoro and Ihemenam appealed to Nigerians to stop discriminating against people who have had TB.
For survivors, discrimination can compound the burden of a disease that is already preventable and curable. It can also discourage people from seeking diagnosis or disclosing their condition.
The call, therefore, is not simply for more technology, but for technology that works within a stronger, more accessible and more compassionate health system.
A digital opportunity for Nigeria
Nigeria’s TB response has made measurable progress in finding and treating patients, but the continuing gap between the estimated number of people who develop TB and those who are diagnosed shows that more people still need to be reached. (World Health Organization)
Digital public infrastructure could help bridge some of that gap by connecting diagnosis, laboratory services, patient records, treatment monitoring and follow-up.
Artificial intelligence-supported screening could help identify people who need further testing. Molecular diagnostic platforms could speed up confirmation. Electronic registers could improve patient tracking, while mobile phones could support treatment reminders and follow-up.
But the technology must reach beyond hospitals and digital platforms.
It must reach the person who is coughing at home but does not know that TB is treatable.
It must reach the patient who is afraid of being stigmatised.
It must reach the person who first turns to a religious or traditional leader because they believe their illness is spiritual.
And it must reach health workers and communities with accurate information.
Asoro’s journey from delayed diagnosis to treatment is a reminder that ending TB is ultimately about people, not just systems.
Technology can make the journey to diagnosis and treatment faster and more efficient.
But if Nigeria is to turn the promise of “Yes! We can end TB” into reality, digital innovation will need to be matched by stronger health systems, community engagement, sustained investment and an end to the stigma surrounding those affected by the disease.
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