Turkana County is stepping up the fight against tuberculosis amid alarming figures showing a 51 percent treatment success rate (about 1,040 patients on treatment), well below the national target of 90 percent, and a worrying surge in child TB cases, now at 27 percent, nearly double the World Health Organization’s benchmark.
With support from partners, the county is scaling up screening, diagnostics, and grassroots interventions to reverse the trend and save lives.
In a meeting supported by World Relief Kenya, it was revealed that a programme funded by Global Fund is set to provide quality treatment and prevention care for TB patients in Turkana. The programme targets patients in Loima, Turkana Central, Turkana North, Turkana South, Turkana East and West.
The Deputy Director for Family Health Gabriel Lopodo stated that by the end of 2024, the county committed to invest in adding new X-Ray and GeneXpert machines in order to enhance early detection, ultimately elevating TB diagnostic services.
The County Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Coordinator Dr. Job Okemwa said that through strategic partnership, the county would intensify support for TB interventions, leading to improved implementation of TB activities. This will include nutrition, counselling, increased TB screening, enhanced follow-ups, contact and defaulter tracing.
While advocating for intensified contact tracing and increased TB screening at the grassroots level, Dr. Okemwa attributed severe acute malnutrition and TB defaulters as major causes for continued spread of TB among children, adolescents and young adults.
“Combating severe acute malnutrition is key as it contributes to most pediatric TB cases. Through proper nutrition, counselling, and contact tracing, we can curb the spread of childhood and pulmonary TB at the community level,” he said.
He added that with support from World Relief Kenya, the County would work towards the establishment of TB treatment centres that would enable timely diagnosis, treatment, and reducing caseloads at Lodwar County Referral Hospital and other health facilities across the county.
According to the World Relief Country Director Oliver Watsimi, the programme will extend support for the implementation of TB interventions by increasing treatment sites in Turkana Central and Kalobeyei-Kakuma Refugee Camp through the Global Fund and Grant Cycle 7 (2025-2027).
County Lead at WRK Mike Ikachoi said the programme would seek to strengthen TB control interventions by intensifying TB surveillance, screening, diagnosis, treatment and providing TB/HIV services targeting school-children, miners and elderly members of the community.
Amref Health Africa Programme Coordinator Abraham Esekon added that through strategic partnership with the county, they have established a resilient health system through the development of the I-monitor app that would address advocacy, accountability and also link service providers as per the Community-Led Monitoring Module.
By Peter Gitonga
