Publications by authors named "V Makwambeni"
Tuberculosis (TB) mortality in Zambia remains high at 86 per 100,000 populations, translating to approximately 15,000 TB-related deaths annually. We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to understand predictors, time to death, and probable causes of mortality among persons on TB treatment in Zambia. We reviewed medical records for persons with TB registered in 54 purposively selected hospitals in Zambia between January and December 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The USAID-funded Eradicate TB Project (ETB) partnered with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program (NTLP) to establish an operational research (OR) training program in order to generate local evidence to enhance TB care in Zambia.
Method: Between 2017 and 2021, healthcare workers (HCWs) from district teams underwent two 10-day intensive training sessions. The program evolved to include a competitive application process and an additional primer workshop on developing feasible research questions.
Article Synopsis
- - Itezhi-Tezhi District, Zambia, has a tuberculosis (TB) mortality rate that's significantly higher than the national average, prompting a study to identify factors associated with these deaths among TB patients.
- - Out of 506 TB patients treated between 2015 and 2018, 71 (16.7%) died during treatment, with most deaths occurring within the first month; the study found that the type of TB and treatment setting were major predictors of mortality.
- - The primary causes of death included pulmonary TB (66%), highlighting the need for thorough clinical evaluations and support for patients, especially those with clinically diagnosed TB starting treatment.
Losses in the Sputum Specimen Referral Cascade in Mpulungu District, Zambia: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
January 2022
Sputum specimen referral cascades in resource-limited settings are characterized by losses of specimens, resulting in delays in tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Mpulungu District Health Office in Zambia conducted a quantitative based cross-sectional study using both primary and secondary data to identify points at which loss of specimens occurred in the sputum referral cascade. Primary data were collected through observations and interviews with 22 TB service providers.
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