BUKOBA: KAGERA Region has stepped up efforts to curb Tuberculosis (TB) by strengthening public awareness and encouraging early diagnosis and treatment, health authorities said as the world marked World Tuberculosis Day yesterday.
Regional TB Coordinator, Dr Martin Rwabilimbo, said early detection remains critical, noting that about 95 per cent of patients who report early and are diagnosed with TB fully recover.
“People should report to the nearest health facility immediately if they notice abnormal symptoms. Many people delay seeking treatment, opting for traditional remedies or self-medication, which leads to late diagnosis when the disease has already progressed,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 10.7 million people fell ill with TB globally in 2024, while 1.23 million died from the disease, making it the leading infectious killer, particularly among people living with HIV.
Dr Rwabilimbo said adolescents and adults carry the greatest burden of pulmonary TB and are the main drivers of transmission, underscoring the importance of targeting these groups in prevention efforts.
He said the region continues to invest in public education and the strengthening of Community Health Workers (CHWs), who are regularly trained to identify suspected TB cases and refer patients for early testing and treatment.
During a recent campaign conducted between March 16 and 23 this year, a total of 13,336 people turned up for voluntary TB testing.
Of these, 2,937, approximately 22 per cent, showed TB indicators, while 325 patients have already started treatment.
Dr Rwabilimbo also commended President Samia Suluhu Hassan for increasing investment in the health sector, which he said has significantly improved service delivery in the region.
“On behalf of Kagera residents, I thank President Samia Suluhu Hassan for allocating substantial resources to the health sector. This has led to improved availability of medicines and advanced diagnostic equipment,” he noted.
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He said that the number of district hospitals in the region has increased from three to eight, health centres from 29 to 42, and dispensaries from 217 to 281. Availability of medicines has improved from 85 per cent to 93 per cent, while the health budget has risen from 100.6bn/- to 146.3bn/-.
According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census, Kagera Region has a population of about 2.9 million people across eight councils namely Muleba, Bukoba DC, Biharamulo, Ngara, Karagwe, Kyerwa, Missenyi and Bukoba Municipality.
The region, which borders Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, as well as Kenya across Lake Victoria, has experienced outbreaks of infectious diseases including Ebola, Covid-19 and cholera, highlighting the need for strong disease surveillance and response systems.
Health experts note that TB is closely linked to poverty, with undernutrition weakening the immune system and increasing susceptibility to the disease.
Transmission is more common in overcrowded and poorly ventilated environments such as mines, fishing camps and densely populated urban settlements.
The Bacille CalmetteGuérin (BCG) vaccine remains the only widely used TB vaccine.
The World Health Organization estimates that a vaccine with 50 per cent efficacy targeting adolescents and adults could save up to 8.5 million lives, prevent 76 million new cases and save 41.5 billion US dollars in costs to affected households over 25 years.