Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Health Reporter
AS the country commemorated World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on Monday, TB survivors emerged as powerful advocates, pivotal in raising awareness, reducing stigma, and strengthening national TB response efforts.
Once seen as mere patients, these individuals are now at the forefront of community-driven initiatives, using their lived experiences to inspire action and policy change.
For years, stigma and misinformation have hindered TB control efforts. However, TB survivors, through their resilience, have become key players in demystifying the disease and encouraging early diagnosis and treatment adherence.
One such advocate is 25-year-old Michelle Chareka who was diagnosed with TB in 2017.
“It wasn’t easy being diagnosed with TB at such a young age. But because I had a lot of support from other TB survivors and my family, I made it through,” she said.
Michelle is now an advocate for TB herself.
She now works with other young people to make sure that they seek treatment early when they notice symptoms and that they adhere to treatment once they start.
She said the commemoration of World TB Day was an important event because it evidenced the multi-sector nature of the TB response.
“As survivors, we realise the importance of this day. People always assume that if someone contracts TB, it means that they will not survive, but we are here to prove them otherwise. As young people, we want to make a change and give people the required knowledge about TB. We are happy that survivors are being recognised for the efforts they are making in the TB response,” Michelle said.
Ms Amanda Sambadzai, another survivor from Chitungwiza, said she had survived TB and the stigma surrounding it, adding that she was committed to helping others survive as well.
“I was diagnosed with TB in 2003, and I commenced treatment. In 2008 I started losing weight and my chest would become painful from very little activity. I didn’t believe I could have contracted TB again. I was admitted to Chitungwiza hospital and the doctor did chest X-rays and they found out I had TB. I cried because I knew I would have to go through the painful process of getting injections. I was referred to my local clinic where I got 60 injections over two months. It was a difficult time and the pill burden was too much as I had to take 14 different types of tablets every day. I know how difficult this is so I am now a TB champion and I work at the local clinic where I help other TB patients,” she said.
For Ms Felistas Machobani, dealing with the stigma surrounding her TB diagnosis was made easier through speaking with other survivors.
“When I fell ill, the stigma was really bad, but because of the support I received, it made me want to recover and return to normal life. This day reminds us that it is possible to overcome sickness when one falls ill. All that is needed is support and adherence to medicine,” she said.
With healthcare systems being overwhelmed, the survivors, who have been integrated into the local clinics where they stay, have been instrumental in ensuring that missing TB cases are identified and patients initiated on treatment.
TB survivors, through community outreach programmes, educate the public about TB symptoms, treatment, and the importance of completing treatment regimens.
Their involvement has been instrumental in addressing myths and misconceptions, particularly in marginalised areas.
Beyond grassroots awareness, TB survivors are also shaping national policies. Many have joined civil society groups advocating for improved healthcare access, patient-centred approaches, and increased funding for TB programmes.
The Zimbabwe Network of TB Survivors (ZNNTBS), which works through the Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe, has been instrumental in coordinating the activities of survivors in the communities.
ZNNTBS vice national coordinator Mr Stanely Sibanda said it was their mission to ensure that all TB cases in their communities were identified.
“We are working in clinics to make sure that people get screened and those who are diagnosed get the proper care. We also do home visits, where we see how people are staying in their homes and if the environments they stay in are clean. We also look at how TB patients are protecting those they stay with. We have also tried to make sure that those providing care for patients get TB preventive therapy to protect them from contracting the disease,” he said.
He said support groups had been formed to provide each other with much-needed psychosocial support while also coming up with ways of getting more people screened.
“We are celebrating World TB Day because it highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in the fight against TB. It allows us to remember those we lost along the way and the heroes who are making an impact every day. It is also a platform for us to highlight the importance of raising awareness of TB prevention and to tell people the truth that TB can be cured if one seeks treatment early. We also interact with policymakers and get their guidance on how we can collaborate to fight the disease,” he added.
Zimbabwe continues to be highly burdened with TB, with about 33 000 cases being notified annually. However, more than 13 000 TB cases are being missed as a result of poor health-seeking behaviours, delays in seeking care, limited access to health facilities as well as under-reporting of TB cases.
As the world pushes towards ending TB, the role of survivors cannot be underestimated. Their voices are shaping the future of TB care, ensuring that responses are not only medically sound but also compassionate and patient-centred.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has acknowledged the importance of involving communities, particularly survivors in the national response as this increases perception of the disease.
Last year, survivors received training from the Government to be able to raise awareness about TB and encourage people to get screened and receive treatment.
Community participation is one of the trackable indicators used to measure the impact of the national response, and a target has been set for the community to contribute 12 percent to all notified cases.
As the nation commemorated World TB Day, it was clear that TB survivors are more than just a statistic—they are the catalysts for change in the ongoing battle against one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
