Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs in Nigeria

TB remains stubbornly common in Nigeria — the country carries one of the world's largest burdens — and its treatment is a marathon: six months minimum of combination therapy built on rifampicin and isoniazid, taken daily, supervised through DOTS clinics where treatment is free. The medicines work; the challenge is that patients feel better in month two of a six-month course.

Stopping early is the single most dangerous decision in this category. It breeds multidrug-resistant TB, which turns a free six-month cure into a brutal two-year regimen. Rifampicin turning urine and tears orange is harmless and expected; yellowing eyes are not, and deserve an immediate clinic visit. A cough that has lasted more than two weeks, night sweats, or unexplained weight loss should end in a free TB test, not a pharmacy guess.