Concern over rising cases of drug resistant TB in Adjumani
What you need to know:
- The assistant district health officer, Mr Henry Lulu said since 2014, the district has treated more than 5,000 TB cases but the increasing cases of MDR TB are worrying.
Health workers in Adjumani district have expressed worry over the increasing cases of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) in the area.
Cumulatively, 55 cases of MDR TB have been recorded at Adjumani hospital among 30 nationals and 25 refugees this year.
The assistant district health officer, Mr Henry Lulu, told this publication on Monday that since 2014, the district has treated more than 5,000 TB cases but the increasing cases of MDR TB are worrying.
“The district is currently battling 13 MDR TB cases among both the refugees and nationals. Treating a single TB case is Shs20 million and they are only treated at higher level health facilities,” Mr Lulu said.
He also revealed that last year, the district identified 842 cases, with 93 cases successfully treated.
Mr Lulu explained that the increase was due to the continuous influx of refugees into the district as well as the impact of Covid-19 that kept many people together.
A survivor, Mr John Eriga, said he tested positive for TB in 2010 and in June 2012, the disease became resistant to drugs before he was referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Mr Eriga said he did not receive any reprieve and was sent to Arua Regional Referral Hospital where he was treated for 10 months before he was referred back to Adjumani hospital.
In 2018 after successfully completing his treatment, he was trained to become an expert client on TB.
“I became homeless. My wife went away, all my 11 children deserted me, but now I am trying to recollect them after completing my treatment,” Mr Eriga stated.
“I was taking 37 tablets in a single day. I was injected 365 times from the buttocks,” he added.
However, Mr Atugonza said with the increase in prices, farmers will resume their sugarcane business.
According to the Ministry of Health, Uganda is among the 30 highly burdened countries with an estimate of about 80,000 cases of TB. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), between July and September 2019, the TB treatment rate in Uganda was 75 percent, lower than the WHO recommended 85 percent.
