Zim in remarkable success to curtail in TB

Tanaka Mahanya

ZIMBABWE has been removed from the list of top 30 high burden countries for Tuberculosis (TB) following its remarkable progress to curtail the disease.

Despite the country grappling with close to 14,000 missed cases annually, and a disproportionate burden of TB-HIV and drug-resistant TB, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted some great efforts being done by the health authorities.

In a statement to commemorate World TB Day on Friday, WHO said this was a result of successful efforts to strengthen the national TB control and anti-retroviral programme.

“TB remains a public health emergency, with 30 000 people falling ill, and more than 4 000 lives lost each day globally, despite it being both preventable and curable.

“In Zimbabwe, 16 300 TB cases were notified in 2021, from an estimated 30,000 incident cases, translating to a treatment coverage of 54 percent.

“While the country has made remarkable progress to curtail the burden of disease, it still grapples with close to 14,000 missed cases annually, and a disproportionate burden of TB-HIV and drug-resistant TB.

“The situation has been compounded by the disruptive impact from COVID-19 in recent years, albeit with signs of recovery as noted in 2021.”

WHO representative in Zimbabwe, Jean-Marie Dangou, said eradicating tuberculosis in Zimbabwe is possible.

“Ending TB is very possible but there is a need for governments and partners to commit more financial resources to address the current funding gaps and deliver quality TB services for everyone in need, particularly the most vulnerable.”

The Union Zimbabwe Trust executive director, Ronald Thulani Ncube, shared the same sentiments.

“Our shared aspiration to end TB is a real possibility, if only we harness our collective efforts to do more with less, targeting the finite resources more intelligently,” he said.

“This year’s World TB commemoration ran under the theme ‘Yes we can end TB’ and recognises our shared resolve to harness high-level leadership for increased investment, adoption of innovations, and multi-sectoral collaboration to combat this epidemic.”