Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH045 (Poster B7) | Published: 24 Nov 2025
Louis Ocen1,&, Solome Najjingo1, Ronald Tamale1, Henry Suubi1
1Uganda Episcopal Conference – Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau, Kampala, Uganda
&Corresponding author: Louis Ocen, Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau, Kampala, Uganda. Email: louisocen@gmail.com, locen@ucmb.co.ug ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9170-6874
Received: 13 Sept 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 24 Nov 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Tuberculosis, stigma, HIV, health workers, Uganda
©Louis Ocen 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: Louis Ocen et al., Stigma’s dual shadow: TB-HIV misconceptions affect patients and health workers in West Nile, Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):00045. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00045
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 275 people with or who had TB (PWTB) (177 pulmonary TB, 89 unknown type) and 47 HCWs in Zombo district. Using the Van Rie Self-Stigma Scale (0–4: strongly disagree to strongly agree). PWTB item A7 (“I am afraid to tell others I have TB because they may think I also have HIV/AIDS”) and HCW items (e.g., A1: “nervous about treating TB patients”) were analyzed for prevalence, mean scores, and care inhibition using Stata V.17. Self-stigma scores (max 48) and agreement rates (=3) were used to assess the impact of stigma on TB care access and service delivery.
Among PWTB, 42.5% (117/275) feared disclosing TB due to perceived HIV/AIDS stigma (mean 0.34, SD 0.81), exceeding clinic avoidance (16.7%) and family disclosure fears (25.5%). Self-stigma averaged 25.1; 36.4% scored high. Men (45.3%) and ages 25–44 (44.7%) showed the highest agreement (p=0.14). Care inhibition was low (9.1%), suggesting internalized stigma. Only 7.6% were HIV-positive, indicating TB stigma’s independence. Among HCWs, 76.6% (36/47) felt nervous treating TB patients (mean 0.77), with 48.9% facing stigma, especially in clinics (36.2%). Nurses (52.9%) reported higher stigma than doctors (35.7%).
Stigma linking tuberculosis to HIV/AIDS drives patient fears, prioritizing secrecy over openness, yet not deterring care. Healthcare workers, especially nurses, who are a critical cadre in TB management, face stigma that erodes confidence in TB care. Tailored educational initiatives and specialized training must address misconceptions to promote stigma-free, confident care in high-burden settings.
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