IMPROVING CONTACT SCREENING OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS IN ESTIE WOREDA, SOUTH GONDAR ZONE, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Abstract Back ground: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects a third of the world’s population and kills 2 million people each year: There is a new infection every second. Most cases currently are located in Africa and South East Asia. The first priority of tuberculosis prevention and control programs is identification and treatment of all persons with active TB, the second priority is contact investigation. Objective: To Improve contact screening of pulmonary tuberculosis patients from 49 % to 85% in Estie woreda, South Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia Methods and Materials: - In all the hospitals and health centers DOTS have been implemented. In the last 3 quarters of 2008 EFY 105 pulmonary TB patients were diagnosed and attending there treatment in facilities found in Estie Woreda. These patients had a total 279 contacts and among them, 137 (49%) were screened for PTB and this was taken as a base line for this capstone project. The study was including all registered pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending their Direct Observed Treatment Short course treatment in health facilities during the study period. The sample size was 153 (all TB patients in Estie Woreda) found during the intervention period. The Data were entered to EPI info version 7.0 and it was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Data were collected using structured interview method. Result: During the intervention period (July 2008 E.C – September 2009 E.C) 153 pulmonary TB (smear positive 59 and 94 smear negative) patients attending their treatment in the health facilities found in Estie woreda were participated in the intervention. Among the participants 91(59.47%) were males and 62 (40.53%) were females. The median age of the TB patients were 30 with a standard deviation of ± 1.58. The practice of good contact screening after the intervention became improved to 71.89% (110 TB patient’s brought all family members for TB screening) and 28.11% poor TB screening practice (43 TB patient’s didn’t brought all family members for TB screening).

Conclusion: This capstone project shows that the TB screening practice of Estie woreda is good. Whereas Knowledge about TB is significantly associated with TB contact screening practice