The Union Zimbabwe and Uganda offices recently received a two-year grant from the World Diabetes Foundation, which will support the integration of tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus care in the two countries. The overall goal of the project is to pilot the feasibility of routine screening for diabetes among TB patients, in response to a growing body of evidence showing the role of diabetes as an important, but neglected, risk factor for TB.
The project will allow for cross-comparison of the diagnostic yield of diabetes among TB patients in two African settings – Uganda, with the relatively lower background HIV prevalence of 7.3 per cent and Zimbabwe with the relatively higher background HIV prevalence of 15 per cent. It is hoped that the outcome of this project will support global advocacy for improved integration of care for TB and diabetes.