Publications by authors named "Alfred Etwom"
Background: The Karamoja subregion is a high TB burden pastoralist community that previously had limited access to public health services. We explored the community's perceptions towards TB to better understand how healthcare services should be structured to meet the needs of the persons with TB and their households.
Methods: From September to October 2022, we conducted 12 focus group discussions (FGDs) and interviewed 95 persons (48 community members and 47 health workers).
Background: The Karamoja subregion in north-eastern Uganda has very high Tuberculosis (TB)case notification rates and, until recently, had suboptimal treatment completion rates among patients diagnosed with TB. We evaluated community knowledge, attitudes and practices towards Tuberculosis in order to identify barriers to TB control in this region.
Methods: From September to October 2022, we conducted a community-based survey in four districts in the Karamoja subregion.
Article Synopsis
- * The research involved analyzing historical data from the National TB and Leprosy Programme, mapping the spatial distribution of TB cases across different regions and districts within Uganda, revealing that the CNR varies significantly by area and time.
- * Findings indicate that certain districts like Moroto and Kampala consistently reported high CNR while others like Kalangala fluctuated, leading to recommendations for intensified efforts and increased funding for Uganda's National TB program.
Background: Following initiation of MDR-TB treatment, patients have a choice to receive follow up DOT supervision at either the central initiating facility or at a peripheral facility.
Objectives: We describe the adherence patterns of MDR-TB patients undergoing DOT supervision at the two health facility categories during intensive phase of treatment.
Methods: We used a retrospective cohort of patients initiated on MDR TB treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital between 2014 and 2016.
Background: Latent Tuberculosis treatment is a key tuberculosis control intervention. Adolescents are a high risk group that is not routinely treated in low income countries. Knowledge of latent Tuberculosis (TB) burden among adolescents may influence policy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Capilia TB is a simple immunochromatographic assay based on the detection of MPB64 antigen specifically secreted by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). Capilia TB was evaluated for rapid identification of MTC from BACTEC MGIT 960 and BACTEC 9120 systems in Kampala, Uganda. Since most studies have mainly dealt with respiratory samples, the performance of Capilia TB on blood culture samples was also evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF