TB SCREENING IN KANO STATE PRISON USING THE DELFT LIGHT BACKPACK (DLB) DONATED BY USAID UNDER THE NEW TOOLS PROJECT

The USAID Nigeria officially handed over the donation of new Diagnostic equipment and preventive therapy medicines diagnostics machines (Truenat Machines, Delf light backpack, X-ray machines, and TB preventive medicines for the treatment of TB infection) to Nigeria on November 29th, 2021. These tools were later distributed to various states where KNCV Nigeria operates. 
The New Tools particularly the DLB Machine and Truenat were successfully inaugurated in Kano state on the 6th of December 2021. Immediately after the inauguration, the team swung into action with advocacy done on that same day to the prison services in the state. With warm reception, the prison management received the team and enthusiastically welcomed the deployment of the new technology to the facility. The team reiterated the importance of routine screening of inmates as this was one of the recommendations put forward during the last screening conducted by the Wellness on Wheels in the facility. 

Kano state has 2 medium-security custodial centers (MSCC) at Kurmawa and Goron Dutse within the metropolis and 8 other satellite custodial centers spread across other LGAs outside the metropolis. The Kurmawa center been the largest in the state houses close to 2000 inmates and is located just behind the Emirs palace in the heart of Kano city, it is an ancient structure built as far back during the colonial days with its capacity overstretched, poorly ventilated cells and overcrowding of inmates whose feeding cannot be described to be optimal. The Goron Dutse center on the other hand is the second-largest housing about 1300 inmates as at the time of intervention, it is located around the Dala hills in the ancient town, also has structures with poorly ventilated cells and suboptimal feeding conditions similar to the Kurmawa setting.

One of the satellite custodial centers is located in Bichi close to the Emirs palace, it is a small facility accommodating 50-60 inmates at a time, unlike the MSCC this satellite center is less congested, has better ventilation conditions and the inmates had better living and feeding conditions. With the new tools introduced concurrently across 6 of the 14 TB LON 1 &2 states, Kano state was the first to launch the use of the DLB machines, the machines were formally inaugurated by the state ministry of health with high profile dignitaries in attendance and immediately after the event, field operations commenced and since then fantastic results have been coming in. Within 4 weeks of launching the intervention, 3 prisons have already been visited.

As of the end of the first week of January 2022, all inmates at Goron Dutse have been screened with a total of 18 TB cases (11-bacteriological, 7-clinical) diagnosed, all of them have been appropriately counseled, isolated from their respective cells, and commenced on treatment. Screening is still ongoing at Kurmawa with 9 TB cases diagnosed so far.

Group photo of KNCV Kano team with the Prison Warders