Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH0015 (Oral) | Published: 18 Nov 2025
Richard Magadha1, Isaac Olupot1, Edeet Lamu1,&
1Tororo District Local Government, Tororo, Uganda
&Corresponding author: Edeet Lamu, Tororo District Local Government, Tororo, Uganda, Email: edeetlamu@gmail.com
Received: 15 Sep 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 18 Nov 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Community engagement, TB screening
©Edeet Lamu 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: Eddet Lamu et al., Community engagement and resource rationalization in tuberculosis case detection: A mixed-methods study at Malaba health centre III, Tororo District, Eastern Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):00015. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00015
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge globally, with Uganda bearing a significant burden reporting 96,000 TB cases annually. Despite national and district efforts, gaps in case detection persist particularly in high-incidence districts like Tororo District. Malaba HCIII, a primary health facility in this district implemented a community-based screening strategies, leveraging limited facility resources to enhance TB case notification from the community.
A mixed-methods approach was employed from July 2023 to June 2025. Quarterly allocations from the Primary Health Care (PHC) fund supported community TB activities. Village Health Teams (VHTs) and health workers were mentored in TB screening, sample collection and handling. Community mobilization preceded door-to-door screening and targeted hot spot interventions. Presumptive cases were identified and samples were transported to the testing hub. Quantitative data on case notification were triangulated with qualitative insights from field observations and stakeholder feedback.
A total of 104 TB cases were notified over the study period. Community-based screening (door-to-door and hot spot) accounted for 84% of cases, while facility-based screening contributed only 11 cases. Doorto-door screening yielded more TB cases (44) than hot spot screening (40), though hot spot screening identified more positive contacts. Case notification improved by 177%, rising from 9 cases (July–Sept 2023) to 25 cases (July–Sept 2024). A temporary decline in Oct–Dec 2024 was attributed to staff absenteeism and repeated screening in previously covered villages.
Door-to-door screening proved more effective than hot spot interventions in identifying new cases, while hot spot screening was more efficient in tracing contacts. These findings underscore the value of decentralized, community-led TB surveillance in resource-constrained settings and support scaling such models to similar high-burden regions.
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