Doctors say tuberculosis is as dangerous as Covid-19.
As the country struggles to maintain Covid protocols, Siaya doctors have warned against the high prevalence of TB in the county.
The high number of tuberculosis cases was revealed during World TB Day that was commemorated in Yala town, Gem.
County medics, led by chief Health officer Eunice Fwaya, said TB remains a public health concern both nationally and globally even as the coronavirus appears more perilous.
Fwaya said TB affects nearly 10.4 million people globally, citing a survey conducted in 2016, and with almost similar symptoms as the coronavirus.
She added that with the alarming numbers, more than 40 per cent of people with TB are not accounted for annually.
“The 40 per cent of people with TB who are on the loose if not contained then the disease might spread at a high speed than the coronavirus in the next five years,” Fwaya said.
Fwaya regretted that the affected if not contained will continue to infect others and add to the big numbers of undiagnosed people, hence the disease will be uncontrollable.
She at the same time cautioned residents against lowering their guard, saying the county has continued to register a high TB burden of 243 cases per 10,000 people every year.
She said residents who fear to be diagnosed continue to raise the numbers and make TB thrive in more aggressive forms such as multidrug and extremely drug-resistance stuns.
“Addressing such problem of that magnitude will take time and will need the national government and the county governments to make TB apriority,” she added.
She, therefore, urged residents to sustain the momentum of kicking TB out of Siaya for the coming years in partnership with the Komesha TB under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops’ umbrella.
Fwaya said if the county can be able to consistently record success stories with high cure rates of more than 85 per cent then TB will be a thing of the past in Siaya County.
She Siaya in the past five years has recorded the highest increase in TB because of the low uptake of treatment by the affected.
“In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Siaya registered 2,126, 2,156 and 2,265 cases respectively,” Fwaya said.
