The National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) is this week hosting laboratory managers and programme managers from 23 countries for a 5-day International External Quality Assessment (EQA) Training in Kampala, Uganda at NTRL. Its a milestone that underscores Uganda’s growing role as a regional leader in TB diagnostics.

The training, which opened on August 10, 2026 at NTRL’s facility in Butabika, focuses on new diagnostic tools including Pluslife and extra, helping participating countries strengthen the accuracy and timeliness of TB testing.

”Uganda loses over 10,000 lives to tuberculosis every year, with late diagnosis identified as a key driver of the high death toll. Uganda records approximately 90,000 TB cases annually , 198 cases per 100,000 people and while the mortality rate has improved from 16%, it still stands well above the global target of 6%” – Prof. Moses Joloba

Prof. Joloba emphasized that early diagnosis is critical not only for the patient’s recovery, but to prevent further community transmission of the disease.

NTRL, accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Supranational Reference Laboratory since 2013, continues to support many African countries in building laboratory capacity and improving TB outcomes. Modern TB diagnostic equipment has been decentralised to Health Centre IIIs and IVs across Uganda, and the public is encouraged to seek testing early.

Source: Daily Monitor, August 10, 2026 — Read the original article here