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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke

Senior Health Reporter

Zimbabwe today joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Tuber colossi Day which is this year being commemorated in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The day is celebrated on March 24 annually to appreciate the efforts made towards ending the killer disease.

Delivering the keynote address during the virtual commemorations of the day this morning, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care, said the emergence of Covid 19 in 2020 disrupted the progress in the national TB response.

He said this has been evidenced by a sharp decline in TB notifications for both drug sensitive and drug resistant forms of the disease.

“This negative impact of Covid-19 is mainly related to stigma and reduced accessibility to health services leading to delays in TB diagnosis and treatment initiation,” he said.

VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe should redouble efforts to raise awareness on TB, enhance the community and health system capacities to reduce morbidity and mortalities from the disease.

This year’s commemorations are being held under the theme “The clock is Ticking”, which conveys the message that time is running out for Government to act on commitments to end TB by 2035.