The Importance of Geospatial Data on Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis Distribution in Engela District (Namibia): Retrospective cohort study

Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become a major public health problem and obstacle to global TB control. MDR-TB is associated with higher case fatality rates, especially among HIV-infected patients, and is much more difficult and costlier to treat than drug susceptible TB. Namibia is the country with the fourth highest TB burden in the world. The incidence rate in 2015 was 651/100 000. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become a major public health problem, especially in developing countries, where the MDR-TB burden is the highest. In Namibia, among the regions highly affected by MDR-TB, Ohangwena region is facing many challenges. A recent study has demonstrated that the magnitude of the problem by numbers, about 40 per cent of patients admitted to the Katutura State Hospital's TB unit and 30 per cent of patients who commenced treatment at the Engela District Hospital in the Ohangwena Region are Angolan nationals.