endTB in Lesotho

Implementer: Partners In Health

Site(s): Botšabelo Hospital, Maseru

Lesotho has the second highest incidence of TB in the world, estimated to be 724 cases per 100,000. Approximately 73% of these patients are co-infected with HIV. Located next to South Africa, Lesotho shares the same epidemiological situation as this country and other countries in the region. Many MDR-TB patients report a history of working in South Africa, especially in the mines.   

Since 2007, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with support from PIH, has provided free diagnosis and treatment for patients with MDR-TB. MDR-TB treatment is available in all 10 districts nationally. Most treatment is provided at home, supervised by a network of specialized community health workers that give injection, observe treatment, and monitor for side effects. Extremely sick patients are transferred to Botsabelo Hospital, a specialized MDR-TB ward in the capital of Maseru.