Compliance and illiteracy when treating tuberculosis

Abstract

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-fourth of the worlds' population was infected with tuberculosis (TB) in 2017. It is estimated that globally, more than 1 billion woken are infected with TB. The treat- ment of TB is limited to follow the treatment schedule. A small pause in taking the meds, forgetting the meds for a day or two etc will result in relapse of the disease. Unfortunately, illiteracy is associated with poor compliance and understanding of the importance of following the treatment protocol. In 2015, it was estimated that about 11% of the world's population over 15 y were illiterate. Where two-thirds were women. This is even worse in sub-Saharan Africa, where 34.7% of all adults above 15 y were illiterate in 2019.