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A Treatment and Diagnostic Centre (TDC) of TB is a peripheral health structure responsible for the management, supervision and monitoring of TB patient.

Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection linked to “Koch bacillus” or “Mycobacterium tuberculosis” that most often affects the lungs and spreads from one person to another through an aerial route. When someone with pulmonary TB coughs, sneezes or spits, he or she throws TB germs into the air, a person only need to inhale a few of them to get infected. The respiratory system is the main gateway to TB infection.

The HIV virus and Koch's bacillus are a dangerous combination, as each of these two infectious agents promotes the progression of the other, which can increase the risk of death. A person who is HIV-positive has a much higher risk of contracting tuberculosis and suffering from a pulmonary or extra-pulmonary infection. In addition, tuberculosis is the main cause of death among AIDS patients.

As SYM is a centre for the care of PLWHIV, preventive treatment of isoniazid (INH), also known as isonicotinyl hydrazine, is routinely given to anyone living with HIV who does not have the clinical signs of tuberculosis and is put on INH. This contributes enormously to the reduction of new TB infections, the number of new TB+ diagnosed cases decreased significantly from 20 new TB+ cases in 2018 to only 08 cases in 2019.

The most common method of diagnosing TB is microscopic examination of sputum smears, but with recent innovations, Rapid molecular tests with the Genexpert device to diagnose tuberculosis and drug resistant tuberculosis are currently being used.
The fact that Service Yezu Mwiza has that machine (Genexpert) has made this centre a reference tuberculosis centre, where other health structures and associations without diagnostic equipment send samples for screening or control.

TB + sensitive cases are directly put on anti-tuberculosis treatment by the tuberculosis management service at SYM, while cases of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis are referred to tuberculosis-resistant treatment center in Kibumbu.
Number of deaths due to Tuberculosis has significantly decreased from 05 cases of death in 2018 to 02 cases of death in 2019, thanks to early diagnosis and treatment and INH chemoprophylaxis in PLHIV who have not yet developed active TB.
SYM makes every effort to contribute by complying with national TB management guidelines and the Global Strategy to Stop TB by 2035.