14,300 Ethiopians Cured of Tuberculosis

Addis Ababa, April 6, 2023 (FBC) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ethiopia recently completed a three-year program to identify, treat, and cure people living with tuberculosis (TB) in urban areas in Ethiopia.

According to a press release sent to Fana Broadcasting Corporate, 14,300 Ethiopians Cured of Tuberculosis through USAID’s TB Program.

It added that the program worth $4 million (over 215 million Birr) Urban TB local organizations network activity has been conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa City Administration, Dire Dawa City Administration, the Harari Regional Health Bureau, and seven community-based organizations.

It is stated that over the past three years, USAID TB treatment activity reached over 235,000 people in urban areas of Ethiopia with TB testing and other services.

As a direct result of the project, over 14,300 people were tested for and diagnosed with TB, treated, and completely cured of the disease, the release said.

The WHO estimates that about 30 percent of TB cases go undetected by the healthcare system in Ethiopia, resulting in unnecessary deaths.  Last year, approximately 145,000 Ethiopians contracted TB, the release has indicated.

The release further indicated that at the closeout event, USAID/Ethiopia Health Office Director Jonathan Ross joined the Ministry of Health’s Senior Advisor, Kebede Worku, as they celebrated the work of the three-year-long project.

The release disclosed that more than 2.3 million lives have been saved since the United States Government began investing in the fight to end tuberculosis in Ethiopia two decades ago.