USAID develops digital application for screening, finding TB cases
The USAID-funded Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector Plus (SHOPS Plus) TB Program has developed a mobile application for screening, diagnosis and reporting of tuberculosis cases. TB Technical Director, USAID/SHOPS Plus, Dr Bolanle Olusola-Faleye, made the disclosure at the sidelines of the National TB conference in Abuja. She said the application, tagged ‘TB STARR’, […]
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The USAID-funded Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector Plus (SHOPS Plus) TB Program has developed a mobile application for screening, diagnosis and reporting of tuberculosis cases.
TB Technical Director, USAID/SHOPS Plus, Dr Bolanle Olusola-Faleye, made the disclosure at the sidelines of the National TB conference in Abuja.
She said the application, tagged ‘TB STARR’, would help health workers diagnose and report TB cases to the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program (NTBLCP).
Dr Olusola-Faleye said: “With a treatment coverage rate of 24%, Nigeria is missing over 300,000 of the estimated 407,000 TB cases and accounts for 9% of the global gap in TB case detection.
“Health workers who are not affiliated with the National TB Program in Nigeria do not have proper information and tools to diagnose and report TB because paper registers and reporting forms are time consuming and expensive to duplicate and collate at scale.
“This results in missed opportunities to diagnose and notify TB cases and contributes significantly to the missing TB cases in Nigeria.”
Ifeanyi Okekearu, Chief of Party of the project said the TB STARR mobile application was launched in July and is available for free in the Google Play store.
While saying that Nigeria ranks 6th among the high TB burden countries globally and 1st in Africa, he said the application would also help the country overcome the challenge of missed TB cases.
“It would not only help in reporting TB cases but to also know what is happening in the sector, and help with referral and support for providers,” he added.