TB death rate remains high

Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council has expressed concern over tuberculosis (TB) death rate which has remained high during the past five years.

TB is most prevalent in HIV positive people although it can also affect those that are negative.

The other groups at high risk of contracting the disease are healthcare workers, diabetes patients, miners and ex-miners, ex-prisoners, prisoners and prison workers, malnourished children as well as those who have lived or worked with someone who has TB.

At a community dialogue meeting held recently at council offices, Bulawayo acting Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Mr Glodie Khuphe said in the past five years the TB death rate in the city ranged between 13 and 16 percent which is worrisome.

“Death rate for TB patients remains high. Some deaths were due to renal failure, liver failure, heart disease, anemia, malignancies and other opportunistic infections due to Retroviral infection and antiretroviral (ART) failure,” he said.

Mr Khuphe said some of the deaths were due to delays in seeking treatment as TB symptoms are similar to Covid-19 and patients fear being sent for isolation once diagnosed with TB.

Under-nutrition, worsened by Covid-19 economic challenges, contributed to an increase in TB cases.

Mr Khuphe said stigma and discrimination against people suffering from TB resulted in patients giving health officials wrong addresses making it difficult to make follow ups.

He, however, said despite the high death rate, the city has been recording a decrease in new tuberculosis and drug resistant TB cases over the past year owing to travel restrictions necessitated by Covid-19.

Returning residents who stay or work in neighbouring South Africa, which has the world’s highest TB prevalence, account for the majority of new TB cases.

According to statistics from Bulawayo’s health services department, the city last year recorded 1 200 new cases showing a decrease from 2020 when it recorded about 2 000 cases.