GWERU – The Ministry of Health and Child Care in collaboration with the City of Gweru and other stakeholders in the Midlands province last week launched a free Tuberculosis (TB) screening programme that is meant to contain the spread of the infectious disease.
TB is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects your lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes. Once rare in developed countries, tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985, partly because of the emergence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Gweru Provincial Hospital Medical Doctor, Dr Trymore Murerwa stressed the need to accelerate TB diagnosis among vulnerable groups, which has been one of the major challenges in the country’s response.
“Most people do not seek medical attention early so through the program, we are going into communities to actually promote early detection a loophole that had caused a major setback in the fight against TB,” Dr Murerwa said.
Union Trust Zimbabwe, a key partner in the program says it is targeting high risk groups in the Province such as miners, people living with HIV and those with chronic diseases.
“We want to help high risk groups in the province though the target does not mean we are neglecting the general populace. Using the help of medical experts in our community, those who are affected will get help on how to handle the disease in the process of treatment,” said Union Trust team leader Vongai Madamombe.
TB remains one of the country’s leading public health threats, particularly when it becomes drug resistant. Experts however say TB becomes drug resistant when a patient skips or boycotts medication.