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Superstition frustrates Nakasongola TB fight
Nakasongola District Health Officer, Dr Agaba Byamuka at a section of the laboratory unit for Nakasongola Health Centre IV in Nakasongola District in 2024. PHOTO/ DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- The Ministry of Health statistics show that at least 30 Ugandans die of TB every day
On Tuesday, March 25, 2025; Nakasongola District will be hosting the National TB and Leprosy Commemoration Day but the health teams say the detection rate is still at 75 per cent despite the past awareness campaigns.
Health teams in the district link the low detection rate for Tuberculosis (TB) to superstition and the mobile population that rarely seeks medical attention at the different health facilities.
“A TB patient may develop serious bodily complications on top of the cough that a section of the population in Nakasongola link to witchcraft. Such patients at times pass on because of negligence in the hands of witchcraft practitioners,” the District Health Officer, Dr Agaba Byamukamu says.
The mobile population includes fishers from the 18 landing sites in Nakasongola District.
“Nobody has a clear idea about where cases of people that don’t seek medical treatment at the designated health units get the treatment when they contract TB,” Dr Agaba argues.
Uganda is among the 30 high-burden TB countries in the world with an estimated 96,000 people contracting the disease each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics.
The Ministry of Health statistics show that at least 30 Ugandans die of TB every day.
Dr Raymond Byaruhanga, the Senior Technical Advisor, Ministry of Health TB and Leprosy programme says TB and leprosy are curable diseases when detected early enough.
Treatment
TB is treated for Six months with the first two months dedicated for intensive treatment. A patient who takes the drugs diligently for the prescribed time will get healed while absconding could result in Multi-drug resistant TB, Dr Byaruhanga explains.
“While the Multi –drug resistant TB is manageable, it could be costly in terms of drugs. Early detection of the disease and treatment can save life. When you start on the treatment, you will stop spreading the disease immediately,” he says.
TB is a contagious disease, often affecting the lungs, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and spread through the air when people with active TB cough, sneeze, or spit. It's preventable and curable, but if left untreated, can be fatal.
TB is a contagious disease, often affecting the lungs, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and spread through the air when people with active TB cough, sneeze, or spit. It's preventable and curable, but if left untreated, can be fatal.
