SPATIAL VARIATION OF TUBERCULOSIS OCCURRENCES IN ILORIN, KWARA STATE NIGERIA

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the deadliest infectious diseases globally. It was responsible for 1.6 million deaths in 2019 and the leading cause of mortality from a single infectious agent, especially in developing countries. In Africa, the incidence of TB was estimated to be rising, with 1500 deaths daily. Despite current global efforts to reduce TB, Nigeria’s TB prevalence is increasing in many communities. This study therefore focused on the assessment of the spatial variation in the occurrence of tuberculosis in Ilorin, Kwara State, through the analysis of notified TB cases across local government areas/wards; assessment of the spatial autocorrelation and hotspot clusters; and relating the observed patterns to health-service access and basic demographic indicators. The study used secondary source of data, sourced from Kwara State Tuberculosis and Leprosy Office. Based on the assertion that 10% sample is often recommended in social science research, 10% of the DOTS centres in each of the local government areas that constituted the study area, were sampled. A total of six DOTS centres were sampled using checklist and incidence register of Tb from 2018 to 2024, which showed that there were 3,187 reported cases of TB in the study area, Analysis of variance was used to analyse the variation of Tb occurrence in the study area. The result of of the ANOVA showed that there was a good amount of variation in the reported cases of TB in the study area (significant F (5,36) = 67.13, p = .001). The study therefore recommended the need for targeted interventions in high prevalence area of TB, strengthening of healthcare access, launching of community based awareness campaigns to educate residents on TB symptoms, prevention and the importance of completing treatments especially in communities with higher rates.