CHReaD Engagement at the East African Health Scientific Conference
Thursday, 24 February, 2022
![Rahab Mwaniki, Campaigns Manager, KANCO presenting research findings](https://i0.wp.com/amref.org/kenya/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/02/Rahab-Mwaniki-Campaigns-Manager-KANCO-presenting-research-findings.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&ssl=1)
In November 2021, we held a scientific conference to present an abstract on Facility-based directly observed therapy (DOT) for tuberculosis during COVID-19: a community perspective. The oral abstract presented by Rahab Mwaniki Campaigns Manager, KANCO, highlighted quantitative and qualitative findings from a global community-based survey on the challenges of administering facility-based DOT during the pandemic as well as potential alternatives.
Facility-based DOT has been the standard for treating people with TB since the early 1990s. As the commitment to promote a people-centered model of care for TB grows, the use of facility-based DOT has been questioned as issues of freedom, privacy, and human rights have been raised. The disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown measures have fast-tracked the need to find alternative methods to treat people with TB.
The research found that decreased access to transportation, the fear of COVID-19, stigmatization due to overlapping symptoms, and punitive measures against quarantine violations have made it difficult for persons with tuberculosis (TB) to receive treatment at facilities, particularly in low-resource settings. Potential replacements included greater focus on community-based DOT, home delivery of treatment, multi-month dispensing, and video DOT strategies.
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