COUNTY STARTS MASS TB SCREENING
TB is a global public health issue with some estimates suggesting that a third of the world’s population carry TB in a latent form. Few of those who carry latent TB will develop the active form of that disease and treatment using multiple antibiotics is highly effective in the majority of cases. The risk of onward transmission/infection only arises where the disease is in the active form in the lungs. Although TB normally attacks the lungs (pulmonary TB) it can affect other parts of the body. Other forms of TB (extra-pulmonary) are generally not infectious to others and for those with pulmonary TB the risk of transmission can be addressed within a few weeks of commencing drug treatment. TB strains that are resistant to antibiotics are an increasing problem and treatment in such cases is both more protracted and expensive.
The County Government of Nandi has started a continuous mass tuberculosis screening to curb the spread of the disease.
The exercise, which is happening as the World marked TB Day commemoration held on March 24.
TB is an infectious disease that spreads through the air from a TB infected person. The disease mainly affects the lungs. 
The common signs and symptoms of TB include coughing for three or more weeks, coughing blood or mucus, chest pain, weight loss, night sweating, fever, among others.
The Chief Officer for Health and Sanitation Fredrick Kiptum said that the County Government of Nandi has invested significantly in strengthening the diagnosis and treatment at health facilities to improve Tuberculosis case detection through improving coverage of WHO-recommended rapid molecular tests like Gene X-pert machines now in the county.
The Chief Officer, said the campaign involves door-to-door screening by health teams and hot spot screening/outreach activity by health care workers to reach those who will not be at home at the time of the visit but have increased risk of getting TB disease.