Programme to combat spread of tuberculosis launched

Uganda's health ministry has launched a programme to stem the spread of tuberculosis, a disease that afflicts at least 40,000 people in the East African country every year.

The new project, introduced on Monday, entails the provision of treatment and care for TB patients and awareness campaigns that will run concurrently with existing efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. The communication component involves public dissemination of information on hygiene and basic lessons on TB.

"We have found it necessary to create an urgent programme to address the increasing numbers of TB infections as well as AIDS, as the two epidemics are related," said Sam Okware, acting director of health services. "The programme includes comprehensive care for TB patients, who in most cases also happen to have AIDS."

"One-third of the [27 million] population of Uganda has been affected by TB, and 10 percent of these will develop the disease and fall sick. There were over 40,000 cases in 2005, and about half of these had open infections [full-blown symptoms of the disease]," said Joseph Imoka, a health ministry official. "The number of people infected by TB is on the rise, especially in urban areas."

According to the health ministry, about 50 percent of TB patients are also infected with HIV, making TB the leading cause of morbidity among AIDS patients.

"The new programme will integrate related information on both AIDS and TB, and this will be used to reduce the burden of both epidemics in the community," Okware said.