HEALTH SCIENCES Identifying misconceptions about tuberculosis: A step forward in developing effective awareness campaigns Peggy Onyango, Professor Daniel Ter Goon and Ntombana Rala outh Africa carries a particularly Findings from the study indicate the threat of stigma associated with high burden of cases of widespread misconceptions about HIV also adds to a failure to seek a S tuberculosis (TB) with 3% of all causes of the disease. For example, diagnosis and get treatment. cases reported worldwide occurring 76.5% of respondents expressed Treatment for TB can be lengthy and here. Of even more concern is the the belief that TB was caused by cold requires repeated visits to health fact that the country also has a high air, 85.9% claimed that it was due facilities for testing and check-ups. number of cases of drug-resistant TB. to a dusty environment and 84.7% The majority of respondents (87.2%) Reasons cited for the high prevalence indicated smoking as a cause with were aware that treatment took six of the disease often include poverty many (60.6%) claiming that people months or longer, with 70.6% noting and poor, overcrowded housing who smoke and drink are responsible that they thought follow-up sputum for its spread. Nonetheless, the conditions. However, lack of tests were an important part of knowledge about the disease itself in largest proportion of participants in treatment. However, more than half a country where levels of education the study (88.4%) did identify correctly said they thought treatment for TB are generally low is undoubtedly also the presence of TB bacteria in the air was unpleasant and interfered with a factor. as a cause. work or marriage, with the majority The need to be more conscious of Importantly, participants in the study indicating stigmatisation as the main the way TB is understood and how shared misconceptions about the reason for avoiding follow up visits at understandings relate to behaviour relationship of TB to HIV, with 77.4% clinics. Given these results, it is not led to a study conducted by Nurse claiming that TB could develop difficult to see why many patients fail Peggy Onyango, Professor Daniel into HIV and that HIV infects those to follow up on their treatment. Ter Goon and Nurse Ntombana Rala. suffering from TB. According to the Although 53.5% of those who The research project focused on 327 researchers, these misconceptions completed the questionnaire did patients suffering from TB attending could be related to the fact that South not associate TB with poverty, the three community health centres Africa has a high incidence of HIV multivariate logistic regression in the Nelson Mandela Bay Health and TB is a major cause of death for analysis conducted by the researchers District. The three researchers used a those infected with both TB and HIV. showed that place of residence was a close-ended questionnaire to collect The belief that TB develops into HIV factor that was statistically significant, information for the study and used was also identified as an explanation with residence in formal housing descriptive and multivariate logistic for some patients choosing to hide emerging as a predictor of correct regression analyses to work with data. symptoms, resulting in a delay in knowledge. getting medical advice. In addition, 29 | University of Fort Hare