As Uganda grapples with the ongoing loss of up to thirty lives daily due to Tuberculosis (TB), experts point to delayed entry into care as a significant factor.
However, survivors highlight another troubling aspect—the prolonged time it takes to detect the TB germ during the care process. Mary Mpakibi, a survivor of multi-drug resistant TB, shared her experience at a media meeting, revealing that despite undergoing multiple sputum and X-ray tests from her first TB test in 2014, she only received a positive result a year later.
During an internship at a TB facility, Mpakibi had to resort to smuggling her sample to Mulago National Referral Hospital to finally obtain a positive test, as health workers had initially declined further tests due to her lack of coughing symptoms.
Fred Ebil’s story mirrors Mpakibi’s, as he faced multi-drug resistant TB in 2018. Despite being admitted to the hospital in a critical state with symptoms suggestive of TB, he only received confirmation after spending time in the general ward with patients battling other diseases, risking the spread of infection.
Addressing these concerns, researchers at Makerere University Lung Institute, sharing results of a gender dynamics assessment in TB care, highlighted potential issues in sample collection.
Dr. Wincey Katagira, a TB treatment specialist, emphasized the importance of early morning sample collection, ensuring it is sputum and not saliva. Dr. Jasper Nidoi added that reliance on patient history for treatment decisions may lead to missed positive cases, as some individuals may not exhibit typical TB symptoms.
Both doctors stressed the need for increased awareness among patients and health workers to prevent unnecessary deaths, considering TB is a curable disease. Currently, an estimated 10% of people testing positive for TB in Uganda succumb to the disease. The country ranks among the top thirty with the highest annual TB cases, reporting 91,000 notified cases, according to Ministry of Health statistics.