Amuru district health department has registered 174 new cases of tuberculosis-TB.
Geoffrey Ocan, the district health secretary, told URN that the cases were registered during a community screening, testing, and treatment exercise conducted in September and October this year.
Ocan explained that over 1,543 samples of sputum were collected randomly from the communities and schools and subjected to tests at different health facilities in the district.
Clovis Goodluck Owyello, the Amuru District Health Educator, says that those who were confirmed positive have been enrolled for treatment, adding that the district health department has enough medical supplies.
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In a recent interview, Louis Obalo, the Amuru District TB and Leprosy Focal Point Person, told URN that they are struggling to diagnose and treat TB patients due to the lack of an x-ray machine.
The x-ray machine plays a crucial role in detecting TB in the patient’s lung once samples from urine, saliva, and mucus tested by gene experts and microscopes fail.
TB is a potentially severe infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the lungs. The bacteria is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. When symptoms do occur, they usually include a cough (sometimes blood-tinged), weight loss, night sweats, and a fever. Treatment isn’t always required for those without symptoms. Patients with active symptoms will require a long course of treatment involving multiple antibiotics.
