Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant public health threat in Kenya. To reduce TB incidence and mortality rates, the Ministry of Health, through the National TB Program, has implemented various strategies, including the strengthening of data collection and analysis. The quality of TB data is crucial in client management, and inaccurate or incomplete data […]
The National Tuberculosis (TB) Program has launched the TB Diagnosis Network Assessment (TB DNA), an important initiative in the fight against TB in the country. The launch was held on the 5th of May 2023 at the Movenpick Hotel in Nairobi. The event was graced by various stakeholders in the health sector, including representatives from […]
Turkana County, one of the top 10 counties in Kenya with high prevalence rates of tuberculosis (TB), has launched a TB screening outreach program in secondary schools. The initiative aims to increase TB case finding, prevention, and care among school-going children in the county. The 2015-2016 TB prevalence survey conducted by the Kenyan Ministry of […]
When 29 year old , Olal Ledon, a father of three and a teacher by professional started having cough that was often accompanied by chills in September 2022, he associated the symptoms to pneumonia. “I thought my routine of riding the motorcycle to and from school early morning and late in the evening when it […]
Irene Mirika, 40, a single mother of three and manual laborer, is a former TB patient and now a champion. She hails from Igembe South, Meru County. Her condition began with a persistent cough and later, a rapid loss of weight. The initial diagnosis at a private hospital was malaria. To add to her quandaries, […]
Nancy from Mshomoroni narrates how her two and a half-year-old son battled TB. The visits she made to numerous clinics bore no fruit. She carried her son’s pain. His neck was swollen. He had rashes, was coughing constantly, and had lost his appetite completely. “I had taken him to another facility where an x-ray had […]
The background of Tuberculosis in Kenya is of some interest, particularly to the writer. Its history is not very clear, but earlier medical workers did show that infection with TB has been prevalent along the Kenya coastline due to early contact with Europeans, Indians and Arab traders. It took some time for tuberculosis to spread […]
Tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) is highly effective at preventing tuberculosis disease in household contacts, however, it is not well implemented, not just in Kenya but worldwide. The World Health Organization recommends symptom-based screening to simplify TB contact evaluation and improve implementation. This week, the National TB Program, in collaboration with counties and supporting partners, has […]
Kenya in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO) – Global Tuberculosis (TB) Program is co-hosting Global Meeting of the Working Group on Public-Private Mix (PPM) for TB Prevention. Dr Andrew Mulwa, Ag. Director of Medical Services, Preventive and Promotive Health officially opened the meeting on the 2nd of November at Trademark hotel, Nairobi. The meeting […]
At Wagai Dispensary, a facility popularly known by the local people as Nyagondo, a meeting is held every Monday morning to review TB cases at the facility targeting to establish the best intervention measures per case. Healthcare workers are encouraged to submit any concerns they have about a particular case. At one particular time, a […]
