Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH004 (Poster A11) | Published: 17 Nov 2025
Emmanuel Barasa1,&, Nelson Mugume2, Richard Kagimu2, Slivester Sande2, Fred C. Semitala2
1Local Partner Health Services–East Central Activity, Uganda, 2Makerere University Joint AIDS Program (MJAP), Kampala, Uganda
&Corresponding author: Emmanuel Barasa, Local Partner Health Services–East Central Activity, Makerere University Joint AIDS Program (MJAP), Uganda. Email: barasaemmanuel8@gmail.com, ebarasa@mjap.mak.ac.ug ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7591-9460
Received: 18 Aug 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 17 Nov 2025
Domain: Health Informatics
Keywords: Tuberculosis, Geospatial Intelligence, Drug Resistance, Surveillance, Uganda
©Emmanuel Barasa et al Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Emmanuel Barasa et al Leveraging geospatial intelligence and digital surveillance to combat tuberculosis case detection and drug resistance monitoring in the Busoga region, Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):00004. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00004
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity in Uganda, with notification rates rising from 134 to 213 per 100,000 population between 2013 and 2022. Treatment outcomes remain poor, with only 57% of confirmed cases successfully treated in 2022, below the national target of 90%. The growing burden of Rifampicin-resistant and multidrug-resistant TB (RR/MDR-TB) requires precision-based surveillance to improve detection and guide response strategies. This study evaluated the integration of electronic Case-Based Surveillance Systems (eCBSS), District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and spatial hotspot analysis to enhance TB surveillance and response in Busoga region.
We implemented a centralized digital surveillance framework across the Busoga Region, synthesizing real-time TB case data from DHIS2 and eCBSS. GIS mapping and spatial hotspot analysis were applied to detect high-burden parishes and sub-counties. Comparative analysis was conducted between the pilot phase (July–Sept 2024) and operational phase (April–June 2025) to assess changes in case detection and treatment linkage.
Bacteriologically confirmed RR/MDR- TB notifications increased by 100% from 18 to 36 between Q3 2024 and Q2 2025, attributable to phased roll- out of GIS-enabled surveillance that progressively expanded coverage and improved detection. Despite the increased burden, treatment success rates for RR/MDR TB cases were sustained at >90%, demonstrating strong linkage to care and adherence. Hotspot analysis identified high-intensity clusters at sub-county and parish levels, facilitating targeted deployment of mobile testing units, community sensitization, and active case-finding campaigns
The integration of DHIS2, eCBSS, GIS, and spatial hotspot analysis created a data-driven, precision-targeted framework that improved TB detection and treatment in Busoga region. Cluster maps generated from surveillance data were shared with district TB focal persons and community health teams, enabling targeted deployment of mobile screening units, intensified contact tracing in high-burden parishes, and rapid linkage of identified cases to care. This approach increased RR/MDR-TB notifications by 100% and improved treatment initiation, demonstrating the value of geospatial intelligence for strengthening TB control in high-burden settings. National TB programs and donors should institutionalize geospatial hotspot mapping within TB guidelines and invest in mobile technologies to support active case-finding in identified clusters. Scaling this digital ecosystem is critical for accelerating Uganda’s progress toward TB elimination.
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