Govt conduct TB screening at three bus terminals in Kampala

By Ben Musanje

15^th March 2022

As the world draws toward the International Tuberculosis Day next week, the Ministry of Health together with the Ministry of Works and Transport have commenced the Cumulative Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing –CAST TB activity among bus operators in Kampala.

This one week activity is an awareness and screening campaign targeting bus operators and support staff of Namayiba, Kisenyi and Global Bus terminals.

Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health says that this activity is aimed at drawing men on board of fighting TB in the country since they are the most prone to disease and ignore to be testing.

She says that bus operators, refugees and people in crowded places especially those with congested homesteads are mostly exposed to TB infections with many of them live without testing but infecting others.

Dr. Stavia Turyahabwe, the Assistant Commissioner National TB and Leprosy control service at the Ministry of Health says at least 90,000 people get infected of TB every year meaning that 240 people get TB daily with 30 of the patients die every day.

She adds that over 1,500 Ugandans are living with drug-resistant tuberculosis yet the ministry can only track 500 people in the hospitals leaving over 1,000 patients spreading the disease in the community.

The World TB Day will be commemorated on March 24^th March under the theme; ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives.