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Kenya: WHO Warns of TB Epidemic
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Elizabeth Mwai
Nairobi
The Government and its development partners spend about Sh2.5 billion annually to fight new strains of tuberculosis.
This is in response to a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that TB could spiral into an epidemic if its spread is not checked.
WHO Country Director, Dr David Okello, said Kenya was experiencing difficulties diagnosing the multi-drug resistant strain of TB (MDR TB).
"Our laboratories do not have the capacity to detect the new strain and, therefore, serious challenges arise in controlling its spread," Okello said.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, 20,000 people die from TB annually.
Speaking during celebrations to mark the World TB day, which was rescheduled from Monday, Okello said there was no inbuilt surveillance system to warn of drug resistance.
The WHO boss said the problem was further aggravated by the fact that the follow-up of patients was not aggressive and therefore the risk of developing MDR TB was high.
Kenya is in the process of putting up an isolation ward at the Kenyatta and Moi Teaching and Referral hospitals to treat patients with MDR TB.
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Health PS, Dr Hezron Nyangito, said the MDR treatment would be expanded to other health centres.
In a speech read on his behalf by an administrative officer at the ministry, Ms Mary Ngare, the PS said HIV/Aids was fuelling the spread of TB.
Nyangito said last year, 80 per cent of TB patients were tested for HIV/Aids and those affected were started on anti-retroviral therapy.
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