TB patient’s testimony about the disease in his Ndaragweti village in Sipiri, Laikipia county could be a major answer to the doctors’ concerns over an unusual longer treatment course he has endured.

Ndaragweti, a small settlement scheme of 137 households, covering three acres each, where George Chege hails from could be harbouring a TB patient in each home, if his testimony is anything to go by.

“I know more than 10 people who are currently on TB drugs, and each of them knows one or two more neighbours, treating the same disease,” he said in what’s likely to raise alarm if there could be an unchecked spread of the disease.

And perhaps this explains why doctors commenting on Chege’s TB treatment expressed concern about his ailment.

Contact tracing

“This patient has been on treatment for Pulmonary Tuberculosis- PTB for the sixth time. It’s disturbing and we need to identify whether we have somebody, re-infecting the patient. We can enhance contact tracing. It will help,” a doctor at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) wrote in a 2021 report seen by this publication.

The doctor is one of a number of TB specialists who have handled the patient. “The above patient has been treated for TB, seven times now,” summarised another doctor.

He observed that Chege was last treated on May 9, 2023 and was to complete the four-month TB treatment regimen involving high-dose daily Rifapentine with Moxifloxacin, Isoniazid, and Pyrazinamide- RX in April 2024.

“The last culture results on January 16, 2024 showed Mycobacterium tuberculosis- MTB detection,” he said, and requested the National TB Reference Laboratory (NTRL) to assist in retrieving tests done so that the doctors are able to make a decision on the way forward.

Sputum cultures

TB not only affects one’s health but the patient’s social and economic life. Chege’s life now seems to be on a stand still. His mobility is limited due to his dependence on the power dependency oxygen machine, and so is his economic productivity.

“I just want to get a cure to this and get back my life,” he quipped with a tone of helplessness.

In the doctor’s examination report, he presented to the chest clinic with symptoms of Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), GeneXpert positive after restarting treatment on July 2, 2019, after having completed TB treatment in June the same year.

“This is the fifth course of TB treatment since 2016. All the tests were positive,” a Dr Kopiyo wrote, noting in the report that previous sputum cultures were not available in the previous clinics.