Screen all Covid patients for TB, health workers told

By Stephen Otage

The Uganda Stop TB Partnership (USTP), a non-government organization coordinating all institutions involved in the treatment of Tuberculosis in the country, has called for screening of all Covid 19 patients for Tuberculosis.

Addressing journalists during a sensitization workshop, Dr Paul Isiko Kawanguzi the executive director USTP said Covid-19 patients should be screened for Tuberculosis because both diseases have similar symptoms and they have similar modes of transmission and TB is the leading killer of HIV/ AIDS patients.

He said the symptoms include coughing lasting more than two weeks, weight loss, night sweats, coughing blood stained sputum, chest pains and other aches adding that it is a curable disease.

While according to Dr Paddy Busulwa the technical advisor, the germ is spread in the air through coughing, talking, sneezing, singing, laughing and shouting and when poorly handled like missing many doses, it results in multi drug resistance.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna