Experts warn of rising TB infections among adolescents in Kenya

Experts have raised concern over increased infections of Tuberculosis (TB) among adolescents and young adults in Kenya.

This, after an estimated 14, 530 young people aged 15 to 24 were diagnosed with TB in 2025.

A study done by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with The Light Consortium and Respiratory Society of Kenya (ReSOK) reveals that TB remains highly prevalent among young people.

Prevalence of TB in adolescents and young people aged 15 and 24 stood at 15 per cent nationally, and 17 percent in Nairobi. This means out of 10 people with TB, at least two are adolescents and young adults.

The study was done in 2025, with at least 97, 246 infections documented.

“Despite these figures, critical gaps persist along the TB care cascade, resulting in missed opportunities for diagnosis, treatment initiation, and successful treatment completion,” reads a section of the study findings.

Zekaria Abdullahi, 23, a TB survivor said young people endured stigma and isolation, an issue that distance them from seeking tests and treatment of TB.

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The fourth-year medical student said his journey with the disease started in 2022 when he joined medical school.

“Diagnosis of TB itself came as a shock to me. But my fellow students isolated and stigmatised me as they believed they could easily acquire TB by sharing any item with me,” narrated the student.

The stigma and isolation forced him to move back home from school hostels, where he was supported through his treatment journey.

“One of the main problems was that everybody was afraid that they can get the disease from you. There's that tendency among young people that the disease is spread through sharing, maybe food or utensils; however, we are changing that perception,” he added.As a survivor, Abdullahi participated in the study. He is appealing to the ministry to help overcome stigma in the fight towards ending TB, and set up more diagnostic and treatment sites.

Dr Rachael Thomson, Chief Executive Officer at Light Consortium, called for collaborative efforts to eliminate TB by 2030.

But even with the efforts to end the disease, Kenya is still recording more cases, with at least 12,000 case reported annually.

Kenya is listed among the top 30 countries with the highest burden of TB cases and deaths globally.

The country records at least 250 cases per 100,000 people. In 2024, TB cases among children under 15 years rose from 12 per cent in 2023 to 13 per cent.

Last year, TB cases among children under 15 years rose from 12 per cent in 2023 to 13 per cent.

Prof Jeremiah Chakaya, a pulmonologist and one of Kenya’s first specialists in lung diseases, underscored the uphill task of ending the disease by 2030.

“TB is a big problem in Kenya, as it is around the world,” said Prof Chakaya, who is also ReSok's Executive Director.

Dr Immaculate Kathure, the head of the National TB Programme at the Ministry of Health, admitted that transmission of the disease is still high, more so among young people.

Kathure admitted to the need to sensitise the public more on the disease to avert stigma and isolation that negatively impacts on diagnostic and treatment.

“When people are not being treated, simply because they are scared to visit a hospital, we spread the disease to the entire population. We need to stop the spread,” said Kathure

Dr Kathure reiterated that there is need to improve communication, information, and generally public awareness and education on TB symptoms and treatment, advising against self-treatment.

“People should understand the importance of seeking hospital care, and not visiting chemists for medication, as this triggers resistant TB and drug treatment,” said Kathure.

She also emphasised the packaging of TB messaging that is attractive to young people who are on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, to help sensitise young people on the disease.

“We need to tailor message platforms to the target audience, and the message that goes out aligns with a particular group so that we are not talking very complicated medical jargon on TikTok, because then it will not reach the people that are intended,” said the official.

According to the Stop TB Partnership Kenya Chief National Coordinator, Evaline Kibuchi, all stakeholders should be included in the push to end TB.

“Our messages are as old as TB itself. Why do we still have TB, yet solutions to end it are known. Are we taking messaging to right people, what are we telling them?” posed Kibuchi.

Kibuchi maintained that TB is preventable, treatable and curable.

However, she expressed optimism that the Light Consortium research findings have the required answers to tweak the conversation.“We are going to repackage our message and say it as it is. If it kills, it kills. But I am just saying it is good to inform how we package the messages for the citizens, especially for the age group in focus, the young people,” she said.

Men, however, are disproportionately affected, with at least 63 percent of the deaths reported among men.

According to experts, curbing the disease among men will significantly tame the spread among females and children.

The report comes ahead of World TB Day on March 24, 2026, prompting calls for stakeholders to rethink the messaging, communication and advocacy. 

The survey identified sustained critical gaps in TB care, resulting in missed opportunities.Using national data from the Treatment Information from Basic Unit (TIBU), a national, Android-based digital surveillance system for TB and lung disease, the study found out that a large proportion of health facility attendees were not screened for TB, and many presumptive TB cases were not tested.

Presumptive TB refers to an individual with signs or symptoms suggesting tuberculosis, requiring further diagnostic testing.“Qualitative findings showed that pharmacies were often the first point of care for young people, while delays in diagnosis were common because symptoms were initially treated as other illnesses such as pneumonia, flu, asthma, or tonsillitis,” states the study.Globally, and even locally, the TB landscape has transformed; initially from diagnosis, moving from microscopy to many other technologies, and stakeholders want the messaging to also change with the times to curb transmission.