Traditional healers participate in tuberculosis control in The Gambia

Abstract

Setting: Twenty-three Gambian villages.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of involving traditional healers in tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in The Gambia.

Design: Twenty-eight traditional healers were educated in the recognition of signs and symptoms of tuberculosis and indications for referral. They administered medications to confirmed cases, and were revisited after 1 year to assess knowledge retention.

Results: Over 6 months, the traditional healers referred 66 suspects, from whom eight cases were diagnosed. All were successfully treated. Twenty-three of 24 traditional healers re-interviewed retained appropriate knowledge; 16 continued to refer suspects.

Conclusions: Traditional healers can play a positive role in tuberculosis control.