Actively screen children and test them for TB- Healthcare facilities urged

Actively screen children and test them for TB- Healthcare facilities urged. Ghana National TB Voice Network, has urged healthcare facilities and health workers to actively screen children and test them for Tuberculosis (TB) to improve pediatric diagnosis.

It said the National TB Control Programme study conducted in 2023, which started using stool samples to test for TB in children, indicated that for the first three months, 14 children from six facilities were diagnosed with TB.

In 2022, sputum induction research also conducted by the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital over a 6month period to assess and find TB in children who were on admission for pneumonia, malnutrition among others, revealed that out of the number of samples tested, 100 children had TB.

A statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Jerry Amoah-Larbi, the Coordinator, of Ghana National TB Voice Network, to commemorate World TB Day, said “this highlights the need to test children for TB now more than ever, especially with the introduction of the stool test.”

World TB Day celebrated on March 24 annually was set aside to commemorate the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB).

It is on the theme; “YES!! WE CAN END TB.”

Ghana in 2023 recorded over 19, 000 Tuberculosis cases against the 44, 000 expected to be detected annually and out of the figure 824 were children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 10 per cent of TB cases diagnosed in the country should be children; however, pediatric cases identified in Ghana over the years hover around four to five per cent, this means that the country is not meeting the target.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs. It is caused by a type of bacteria, which spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits.

Symptoms of TB include prolonged cough (sometimes with blood), chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, fever, night sweats and can affect anybody.

TB is cured with effective drugs administered by the Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) approach and the treatment regimen is for six months.

The statement said it was thus important for health facilities to ensure that every child coughing and having a fever, malnourished, and failing to grow according to his/her age should be screened for TB.

“Every child in contact with a parent or caregiver with a TB patient must be screened for TB. If he/she is negative, put such a child on TB preventive Therapy” it added.

Mr Amoah-Larbi said the risk of TB in Ghana was high and the disease was curable with early treatment however, low TB case detection, huge budget gap, as well as stigma, myths and misconceptions were obstructing its programming.

“TB is a preventable and curable disease. Diagnosis and treatment are available free of charge in all public and accredited private health facilities,” he stated.

He called for urgent investment for early TB diagnosis, adding that currently 201GeneXpert and 79 digital X-rays were available to serve in 261 districts.

It appealed to institutions, civil society organisations, the media, Executive, Judiciary and legislature for advocacy and political against stigma and discrimination.

Source: GNA