The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched a study examining whether simple mobile‑phone text messages can help improve tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence in Ethiopia and Liberia, two of the countries most affected by the disease on the continent.
The work, funded through a $100 000 World Bank grant, is under way from November 17 to December 12, 2025. It is being carried out with the support of the Health Ministries in Ethiopia and Liberia, alongside the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences, Dire Dawa University and the Dire Dawa Health Bureau. Africa CDC’s Science and Innovation Directorate is coordinating the technical aspects.
TB continues to pose a major global health threat. In 2023, around 10.8 million people were infected worldwide and more than 1.25 million died. Ethiopia and Liberia remain high‑burden countries, recording estimated incidence rates of 119 and 308 cases per 100 000 people, respectively. Although diagnosis and access to treatment have improved, many patients still struggle to complete their full course of medication, a gap that often results in failed treatment, relapse and drug‑resistant TB.
The study, titled Improving TB Treatment Adherence through Mobile‑Phone Messaging, is exploring whether SMS reminders can help patients stay on track with their medication. It also aims to understand barriers to using digital tools and assess how such interventions could be integrated into national TB programmes.
“This research gives us a chance to bring digital innovation into TB care in a way that speaks directly to the realities patients face,” said Dr Mosoka Fallah, Africa CDC’s Acting Director of Science and Innovation. “Mobile phones are widely used across Africa, and if we can tap into that reach, we can make treatment support more accessible, especially for communities that are hardest to serve.”
The project includes two major components: a baseline assessment to understand current levels of treatment adherence, followed by a pilot phase in which selected patients receive SMS reminders. A total of 844 TB patients, split evenly between the two countries, will take part, with roughly 200 receiving the text‑based intervention. Researchers will use both quantitative data and patient interviews to help shape future TB control policies and guide the continent’s digital health strategies.
Fallah said the initiative reflects Africa CDC’s broader commitment to implementation science that strengthens frontline public‑health programmes. He added that the study will also contribute to efforts to align TB responses with the WHO End‑TB Strategy and the African Union’s goal of ending TB as a public‑health threat by 2035.
–ChannelAfrica/Africa CDC–
