Respiratory Society of Kenya

30/10/2025

Happening Now in Meru County - A Two-Day Bronchoscopy Camp.

20/10/2025

Happy

13/10/2025

Kenya Innovates to with 80 AI-powered X-ray units to speed up TB detection and save lives. Join us on Oct 13, 2025, at KEMSA Grounds as we flag off Kenya's Ultra-Portable Digital X-Ray Machines with Al to 47 counties.
The Ministry of Health Clinton Health Access Initiative Centre for Health Solutions - Kenya (CHS) Amref Health Africa in Kenya Respiratory Society of Kenya Stop TB Partnership World Health Organization Kenya GSK Gates Foundation The Global Fund

10/10/2025

This week, our team visited Riruta Health Centre, St. Mary's Hospital, and Baraka Health Center — the same facilities where we previously interviewed young people aged 15–24 who were diagnosed with TB.

The purpose of these visits was to share our study findings with health workers, facility teams, and representatives from the community, including youth leaders, village elders, and Community Health Promoters (CHPs). Together, we reflected on the findings and discussed ways to strengthen youth-responsive TB care.

The study involved in-depth interviews with 14 young people and participatory workshops with 37 others, to understand the barriers, motivations, and experiences that shape young people’s engagement in the TB care cascade.

Three central themes emerged:

1️⃣ The gendered path to care

Young men often delayed seeking treatment due to work demands and social expectations around masculinity, while young women relied on home remedies and family advice — sometimes for months — before seeking care. Misconceptions were common: some women associated TB with spiritual causes, while men linked it to lifestyle habits.

2️⃣ Confusing treatment experiences

Several participants were initially misdiagnosed with asthma or pneumonia and began treatment without fully understanding their condition. Long queues, rigid clinic hours, and distance to facilities created additional barriers, while youth-friendly staff, social worker support, and transport reimbursements made a positive difference.

3️⃣ Reasons for disengagement

Side effects such as blurry vision, swollen legs, and fatigue led some to stop treatment. Men often cited work conflicts, incarceration, and homelessness; women described emotional stress, family conflict, and financial strain.

Yet, moments of compassion and follow-up from nurses or peer educators often helped young people return to care — small acts that rebuilt trust and gave them hope.

Beyond disseminating the findings, facilities also had the opportunity to develop action plans on how they can make their services more youth-friendly and responsive to the needs of the young people they serve.

Next week, dissemination will continue at Rhodes Medical Center, Mbagathi County Hospital and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital — completing this important cycle of listening, learning, and action.

By returning to the same facilities where young people shared their stories, we aim to ensure that research translates into change — into care that meets them where they are and helps them complete their journey to recovery.

01/10/2025

Day Two Highlights | The TB & Lung Health Symposium

Day Two opened on a powerful note — a skit on TB awareness that set the stage for conversations grounded in both science and lived realities.

🔹 Lived Experiences & Awareness

Beyond the skit, the morning featured moving testimonies from TB and PTLD survivors, highlighting the human side of lung health and reminding us of that awareness through art and storytelling can be as impactful as clinical advances.

🔹 Interventional Pulmonology

Experts unpacked advances in managing lung nodules, lung cancer, pleural disease, and chronic airway conditions — showcasing how interventional pulmonology is redefining care pathways.

🔹 Chronic Respiratory Care

Discussions explored Post-TB Lung Disease in children and adults, COPD and bronchitis care in low-resource settings, and the essential role of pulmonary rehabilitation in restoring long-term quality of life.

🔹 Health System Strengthening

Kenya’s efforts in asthma care took focus — from improving diagnosis to treatment access and self-management. Implementation research, integrated diagnosis of chronic lung diseases, and drug resistance surveillance provided key lessons for system-wide resilience.

🔹 Innovations & Research

Highlights included AI for TB elimination (Wadhwani AI), EPCON’s TB modelling work, and insights into advanced HIV disease — all showing how data and technology are helping us look ahead.

🔹 Interventional Pulmonology Panel
The day closed with a dynamic panel by Qure.ai, showcasing new frontiers in diagnostics and innovations for TB and respiratory care.

From skits to science, Day Two proved that tackling TB and lung health requires blending creativity, innovation, and patient voices.

29/09/2025

Day One Highlights | The TB and Lung Health Symposium

Day One set the tone with bold conversations that cut across science, policy, and lived experiences of TB and lung health.

>> Upstream Determinants & Burden

We reflected on the latest TB burden in Kenya and the findings of the 2024 Nairobi County Prevalence Survey — asking how far we’ve come since 2016. Speakers also shed light on the upstream drivers of TB: poverty, stigma, poor nutrition, and mental health challenges, reminding us that health solutions cannot exist in isolation from social realities.

>> Global Health Financing

In a time of shifting donor priorities, the symposium explored how Kenya can adapt. Discussions focused on bridging global innovations with local needs, aligning TB with primary health care on the path to universal coverage, and unlocking innovative financing models to sustain the fight against TB and chronic lung diseases.

>> TB Prevention Strategies

Prevention took center stage, with updates on preventive therapy for children, adult contacts, and persons living with HIV. The promise of new vaccines such as M72/AS01E was unpacked in the Kenyan context, while nutrition — often overlooked — was highlighted as a critical, low-cost frontline defense against TB.

>> Diagnostics

Finding TB faster and earlier was a recurring theme. Experts shared lessons from Kenya’s childhood TB algorithm (2022/23), the use of AI-powered digital X-rays in Siaya County, and new near point-of-care tests using non-sputum samples — all innovations bringing hope for timely diagnosis.

>> Care & Treatment

The day closed with conversations on improving care — from implementing shorter regimens for children, to addressing the gaps facing adolescents and young adults in the TB care cascade. Importantly, the call was made for TB and lung health services to be person-centered, rights-based, and gender-responsive, ensuring no one is left behind.

Day One was a powerful reminder that progress against TB and lung diseases is possible when science, financing, innovation, and human dignity come together.

The conversations don’t stop here — we continue tomorrow with even deeper discussions and insights.

Stay tuned!!!

29/09/2025

Happening Now: The TB And Lung health Symposium 2025.

Follow the conversations live and catch key highlights on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/gu5whsia

26/09/2025

25/09/2025

Healthy Lungs, Healthy Life

Breathing is life. On September 25, we mark World Lung Day with the theme “Healthy Lungs, Healthy Life”—a reminder that every breath depends on the strength of our lungs.

Yet behind the statistics of millions affected by asthma, TB, chronic respiratory diseases, and air pollution are real people with real stories.

At the Respiratory Society of Kenya , we believe awareness must lead to solutions. That is why this World Lung Day, we are shining a light on one of our initiatives:

The TB & Lung Health Symposium
Theme: Innovation and Integration in Advancing TB and Lung Health

This symposium brings those stories into the same room as solutions. It is where frontline clinicians, policymakers, researchers, community leaders, funders, and people with lived experience come together to turn compassion into action.

Why you should join:
>>Hear first-hand stories revealing the real impact of TB and lung diseases.
>>Discover new innovations and strategies to transform prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
>>Connect with diverse experts and communities to build lasting partnerships.
>>Take away practical, person-centered approaches you can apply in your work or advocacy.

What makes this symposium unique:

Empathy-first conversations guided by lived experiences.

Action-oriented sessions focused on solutions and next steps.

Integration over isolation, linking innovations to stronger health systems.

Equity and inclusion, ensuring no one is left behind.

🗓️ Format: Hybrid
👥 Physical attendance: By invite only
💻 Virtual participation: Open via Microsoft Teams (register >>> https://shorturl.at/ftopa )
▶️ Livestream: Available on our YouTube page Society of Kenya

This World Lung Day, let’s move from awareness to action. Join us at the TB & Lung Health Symposium and be part of a movement determined to end TB, improve lung health, and give every person the chance to breathe freely.

10/09/2025

Every day, healthcare workers step into environments where the risk of exposure to TB and other airborne infections is high. Their dedication keeps our health systems running, but it also places them in harm’s way. Ensuring their safety is not only vital for them, but for the countless patients and families who depend on their care.

Today in Kirinyaga County, we convened County Health Managers for the FAST Approach Meeting. The focus was on how to put into action a strategy that has been proven to reduce transmission in healthcare and congregate settings. The discussions reflected a shared commitment to creating safer spaces—where healthcare workers can serve with confidence, and where patients can seek care without fear.

By strengthening protection for those at the frontlines, we strengthen protection for us all.

01/07/2025

From Guidelines to Practice: Applying ASTHMA GINA Updates in Clinical Care

Asthma management is evolving — are you up to date?

Join us as we break down the latest GINA updates and demonstrate how to apply them effectively in real-world clinical settings to improve patient outcomes.

✅ Don’t miss out — limited slots available!

🔗 Register now: https://shorturl.at/LvMkE

Let’s turn evidence into action.



Cipla | Chakaya Muhwa | Jumaa Bwika MRCP Resp, MBA, FRCP Edin | Jacqueline Wanjiku Kagima MD, PhD | Njira Lugogo | Respiratory Society of Kenya |