National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Elimination Programme Reports Improvement in Paediatric TB Detection

SALIMA, Malawi - The National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Elimination Programme (NTLEP) has reported an improvement in the detection of pediatric tuberculosis (TB), writes Wezzie Mwangonde.

During a biannual meeting between journalists and faith leaders in Salima district, TB and HIV programmes officer in NTLEP, Henry Kanyere, confirmed that the programme's target for 2022 was to detect at least 2,000 TB paediatric cases, but they have only managed to detect 1,400 cases so far.

Kanyere stated that most of these cases were recorded among children between the ages of 0 to 4 years, which is a great improvement.

"Despite the figures, the programme is making strides towards fighting against paediatric TB in the country," said Kanyere.

In her remarks, leprosy coordinator, Mercy Mziya, revealed plans to decentralize leprosy services to peripheral health facilities.

The move aims to help patients residing in areas far from the district hospital have access to treatment and care.

Currently, only three health facilities in the country, Kochilira, Kasina, and Utali, have the skills and knowledge on leprosy case registration, diagnosis, and management.

"Our first target is health facilities in district leprosy hotspot areas such as Balaka, Nkhotakota, Mchinji, Zomba, and Lilongwe so that they have the skills and knowledge on leprosy management," explained Mziya.