Jane Nafula
Daily Monitor
November 17, 2006
Kampala
Uganda has the highest tuberculosis prevalence rate in Africa Dr. Stefan Kaufmann has said.
Kaufmann, who heads a project Biomarkers of Protective Immunity Against TB/HIV/AIDS in Africa, was speaking to the annual consortium meeting on Wednesday in Kampala.
A consortium of partners in Africa including Makerere University is implementing the project. It is intended to create new vaccines for TB because the current vaccine BCG becomes ineffective when a child makes five years.
Addressing participants Vice President Gilbert Bukenya said TB is among the major causes of mortality in Uganda.
He said according to the 2006 World Health Organisation TB Report, Uganda is ranked 15 out of 22 countries in the world with a high burden of TB.
Prof. Bukenya, a medical doctor, said the detection and treatment success rates of 43 and 68 percent; respectively for new sputum smear-positive cases are still below the WHO global standards of 70 and 85 percent respectively.
He attributed Uganda's performance to inadequate recording and reporting, poor access to health are services, insufficient number of skilled staff and diagnostic facilities.
He urged African governments to collaborate in the development of the TB vaccine.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that may affect almost any tissue in the body especially the lungs.
It is common among HIV/AIDS patients. According to the US Agency for International Development, 20 percent of TB patients are HIV positive.
Bukenya said Uganda would start producing ARV's in July 2007.
