Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE continues to record positive strides in the fight against the deadly Tuberculosis disease with the estimated incidence rate going down from 242 per 100 000 in 2015 to 204 per 100 000 in 2022. While the country has made progress, TB remains a leading cause of death and there are still many challenges.
Challenges
Missed cases: Many people with TB go undiagnosed and untreated.
Drug-resistant TB: There is a significant burden of drug-resistant TB.
High out-of-pocket costs: Many TB patients face high costs for treatment.
Limited diagnostic capacity: There are few facilities that can conduct TB sputum culture microscopy.
Stigma and discrimination: People with TB may face stigma and discrimination.
Poverty: Poverty can make it difficult for people to access health services.
Progress
Zimbabwe has made progress in reducing the TB burden.
It launched the Multi-Sectoral Accountability Framework for TB (MAF-TB) to increase efforts to end TB.
Zimbabwe has free TB diagnosis at national laboratories.
Treatment
In 2020, the TB treatment success rate in Zimbabwe was 88%.
TB is the second leading cause of death in Zimbabwe.
To ensure that TB services are brought close to where people live, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has been implementing targeted screening for active TB (TaS4TB) to detect missed TB cases amongst high-risk and hard-to-reach populations in Zimbabwe since 2014.
Peter Tanyanyiwa