40% TB cases not reported - minister

At least 40 per cent of Ugandans with clear tuberculosis (TB) symptoms do not seek medical attention, a glitch that has complicated the government fight against the disease, officials have revealed.
Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, told Saturday Monitor on Thursday that Ugandans who present TB symptoms such as coughing for three or more weeks, coughing up blood, chest pain, or pain with breathing or coughing, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, fever, night sweats and chills, do not seek medical assistance.
“Ending TB in Uganda means only 10 or less people developing the disease for every 100,000 population,” Dr Aceng said.
She added: “Currently we have 201 TB cases per 100,000 population, meaning we have 86,000 new cases of TB every year in the country.”
The minister made the remarks during a press conference in Kampala ahead of the World Tuberculosis Day.
Tomorrow, Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate World TB Day, with celebrations to be held at Ruhama County Grounds in Ntungamo District. The day will be marked under the theme: “It is time for Uganda to end TB, It starts with me”.
Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem in Uganda.
The disease is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), TB mainly infects the lungs and other organs. When a person with TB coughs or sneezes, the air is filled with droplets containing the bacteria.
HIV remains the leading risk factor for TB. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among people with HIV/Aids.
The HIV prevalence in the country, however, is estimated at 7.3 per cent, and approximately 50-60 per cent of TB patients are also co-infected with HIV.
Dr Aceng and other officials in the Ministry of Health have appealed to Ugandans who present with symptoms of TB to immediately seek medical help if Uganda is to eliminate the disease.
Annually, Dr Aceng said, the ministry registers about 86,000 new TB cases of which 64 per cent were diagnosed last year, treated and cured.

Treatment
Dr Stavia Turyahabwe, the acting assistant commissioner for National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Division at the ministry of Health, said TB treatment costs about $30 (about Shs100,000) but for multi-drug resistant TB, it may cost $3,000 (about Shs11million).
Dr Turyahabwe said men have four times more chances of getting TB because of behavioral acts like smoking.
She also revealed that most people with TB in the country are between the ages of 25 and 65.