Health experts in new drive to fight TB

When her cough persisted more than two weeks, Ms Lucetha Nkatha decided to visit a health centre to seek treatment for what she thought was a seasonal flu.

But this was the beginning of several trips to the hospital for the 29-year-old primary school teacher in 2004.

“It later developed into chest pains that could lead to a series of uncontrollable coughs,” Ms Nkatha told the Nation.

Now recovered, she is one of the delegates at the 2nd Kenya International Scientific Lung Health conference at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi.

As a tuberculosis (TB) ambassador, her role includes creating awareness on the importance of seeking prompt treatment for the disease that is the second greatest contributor among infectious diseases to deaths in adults — causing about 1.7 million deaths a year worldwide.

By telling Kenyans her story, Ms Nkatha hopes to create awareness on the importance of seeking prompt medical attention before the disease progresses to a resistant strain that is more difficult to treat.

Currently, Kenya holds the unenviable 13th position out of 22 countries with a high TB burden globally, with the disease taking its greatest toll among the most productive age group of between 15 and 44 years.

According to Ms Nkatha, she was initially diagnosed and treated for TB in Meru but the disease proved resistant to the first line treatment she was receiving.

Multi-drug resistant

“I was treated for TB four times but after completion of eight months per treatment, the disease kept recurring,” Ms Nkatha says.

She adds: “I was referred to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi for the treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB), which had taken a toll on my otherwise vibrant mood.”

MDR-TB does not respond to the standard treatments using first-line drugs.

Her weight reduced to 36kg and most of her neighbours thought she would not make.

She was so weak that she had to rely on family members for basic house chores.

Ms Nkatha marks one year since she completed her treatment although she is required to attend clinics every three months at Kenyatta National Hospital to enable doctors to monitor her post-treatment health.

Treatment of TB poses major challenges, particularly with the development of drug resistant strains.

To tackle the challenges, Kenyatta National Hospital has created a special ward for treatment of TB patients.

The ward is awaiting delivery of special equipment for treating the disease — mufflers and a giant safety cabinet both valued at Sh6 million.

According to Dr Joseph Sitienei, the head of Leprosy, TB and Lung Diseases division at the hospital, it cost about Sh54 million to establish the ward.

TB is an airborne infectious disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The bacteria attacks the lungs, but it can also damage other parts of the body. The disease is preventable and treatable.

Themed, ‘Towards universal access to TB/HIV and comprehensive Lung health service,’ the three-day conference that ends tomorrow brings together 500 delegates from Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Policy makers

With one-third of the world’s population currently infected with TB, the conference aims at urging policy makers to meet the Millennium Development Goal number five that targets to halve the TB prevalence and death rates by 2015.

Last year, Kenya reported 106,083 cases of TB, a decrease of four per cent of cases reported in 2009.

HIV/Aids is cited as the major contributing factor to the increase in TB cases.

Those who are HIV-positive are prone to TB infection due to suppressed immunity.

Health experts say creating awareness in communities to enable early diagnosis are key to reducing the burden of the disease in the country.

Chest specialist James Aluoch says the disease has to be tackled urgently if the country hopes to achieve the Millennium Development Goal number five that calls for halting and reversing the incidence of TB by 2015.

“Do not ignore that cough, get checked today,” Ms Nkatha urges.