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Sibongile Maruta Herald Reporter
Government has made progress towards ending TB by 2030 as articulated in the United Nations Strategic Development Goals and the World Health Organisation’s End TB Strategy, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa has said.
Speaking during World TB Day commemorations held in Harare last week, Dr Parirenyatwa said Government embarked on a community-based nationwide TB screening in high risk groups such as miners, people living with HIV and diabetics to identify cases that could have been missed during interventions.
He said through this programme, which started in 2017, a total of 44 626 people from 16 districts were screened and 855 were found to have TB.
He said Government has also decentralised drug-resistant TB diagnosis to district level, resulting in increased case detection.
“There has been a rapid scale up of new diagnostic technologies such as the Gene Xpert machines and Line Probe Assay machines, resulting in prompt diagnosis and treatment of TB and Drug Resistant TB,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
He said the country now has a total of 129 GeneXpert machines and three Line Probe Assay machines.
Dr Parirenyatwa said in a move aimed at improving treatment adherence and outcomes, Government had adopted the use of new TB medicines, which include the roll out of shorter treatment regimes for drug-resistant TB.
“We acknowledge the political commitment demonstrated by our policymakers, who have taken bold steps in placing TB on the political agenda through the establishment of a National TB Caucus and signing of the Barcelona declaration,” he said.
This year’s World TB Day commemorations were running under the theme: “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free Zimbabwe. You can make History. End TB.”
Unpacking the theme, Aids and TB Unit director in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Owen Mugurungi said this year’s theme targeted all leaders from their different spheres of influence.
“The aim of the theme is to get leaders or leadership from every angle and not in the political sphere only, to champion the fight against TB.
The devastating disease is a burden in Zimbabwe and we are working on strengthening the national response to TB,” said Dr Mugurungi.
TB remains one of the country’s leading public health threats, particularly drug-resistant TB.
Online Reporter