31 Mar 2019

World TB Day promotes public awareness about the devastating consequences of tuberculosis (TB) on the health and socio-economic development of communities. 

District AIDS coordinator, Mr Thuso Ernest, said this at the World TB Day in Palapye on March 29. 

Mr Ernest said the event underscored the importance of commitment by leadership at all levels of society to end TB. 

He said Botswana needed to re-affirm its commitment to the global campaign in accelerated actions towards eliminating TB in societies by 2035. 

Mr Ernest stated that TB remained a major public health challenge that had been fueled by the HIV pandemic, despite considerable progress over the last decades in containing TB. 

He said TB was the top infectious killer worldwide, claiming over 4 500 lives a day.  

In 2016, he indicated that 10.4 million people fell ill because TB globally and in Botswana it is estimated that 6000 people continue to fall ill due to the disease annually. 

He said the Palapye District reported 209 TB cases in 2017, while in 2018, 225 TB cases were reported of which 133 or 59 per cent were co-infected with HIV. 

He said Kediretswe clinic alone registered 24 cases in 2017 and 23 cases in 2018. 

“The threat of drug-resistant forms of TB continues to be a serious problem complicating TB treatment and care. 

This type of TB does not respond to treatment with the usual drugs and requires long term treatment of up to two years. Kediretswe clinic registered two cases in 2017,” Mr Ernest said. 

He indicated that the government continues to mobilise resources for the implementation of both TB and HIV prevention programmes through the financial and technical assistance of the Global Fund, Humana People to People. 

He said the ministry of health and wellness is currently implementing community models of care, adding that there has been commitment by government and other organisations to make community participation in the fight against TB through programmes such as the Community TB Care initiative.  

He pointed out that communities can make meaningful contribution to control TB by screening for TB, especially those in close contact with TB patients, taking TB medication as prescribed by health care providers. 

He said children should be given BCG vaccine at birth and practice healthy lifestyle habits to improve immunity, adding that support should also be provided to those who are already infected with TB to complete their treatment. 

Mr Ernest said that the socio-economic consequences of the TB burden stretch beyond the health sector and challenged the private sector and community to invest more in health issues including TB control. 

The Palapye TB coordinator Ms Daenah Gaonewe said the objectives of the day was to raise public awareness on TB and HIV issues and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. 

She said the event was also meant to promote an end to stigma and discrimination related to TB and HIV and to promote team work amongst all stakeholders involved in the fight against TB. 

The matron of Kediretswe clinic, Ms Ketlantshang Seteregane urged the community to spread information about the fight against TB, stressing the importance of participation by all. 

She also appealed to the community to work together to reduce the number of TB infections. Ends