Nairobi’s busy bars, where conversations mingle with booming music, coughing, and laughter, provide an ideal setting for tuberculosis to thrive and spread.
Compared to other social contexts like churches or matatus, frequenting bars is associated with a much higher risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) according to a recent city-wide study that looks at potential infection sites for TB patients.
Although the results have not yet undergone peer review, they provide important information for public health initiatives trying to stop the spread of tuberculosis in urban areas.
The results are based on a survey that researchers from the University of Washington, Amref, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute carried out in Nairobi in 2022.
A total of 6,369 people aged 15 and up were involved. Sputum samples from individuals exhibiting tuberculosis symptoms were collected and subjected to advanced diagnostic methods, such as culture testing and Xpert Ultra.
Subsequently, they responded to inquiries regarding their primary locations within the neighborhood and mode of transportation.
The settings of the activities were divided into eight categories: home, workplace, school, market, social (gambling, bars, sports clubs, or social halls), or church.
All things considered, the most often stated location was home, followed by the market, job, and church.
Nevertheless, compared to other social settings, the final analysis shows that a higher number of TB patients visited bars and other drinking establishments.
Compared to other social settings, going to bars was linked to a four to five times increased chance of developing tuberculosis.
The research paper, entitled “Mobility Patterns, Activity Locations, and Tuberculosis in Nairobi,” can be accessed on the medRxiv preprint website.
The authors discovered that TB disproportionately affects men and older persons in Nairobi, particularly those between the ages of 45 and 54.
Compared to younger people, their chances of getting the disease were 2.4 times higher.
These results are in line with global tuberculosis data, which frequently indicate that men and elderly individuals are more vulnerable to the disease.
The most significant risk factor in social settings was found to be frequenting bars, which the researchers further linked to these demographic categories.
Kenya reports more than 90,000 cases of tuberculosis on average per year, as per the national TB program run by the Ministry of Health.
The study looked at several public places, however bars were the only social context that was found to have a statistically significant link with TB transmission.
None of these displayed a risk level that was comparable.
According to the authors, crowded areas, inadequate ventilation, and prolonged close contact amongst patrons all combine to make bars an ideal setting for the spread of tuberculosis.
When an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks, the disease mainly spreads by airborne particles.
Congested areas with little airflow are especially high-risk locations because the bacteria can remain in the air for hours.
The results of this research have important repercussions for TB control plans in Nairobi and other cities with comparable socioeconomic structures.
