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Roselyne Sachiti Features & Health Editor

Joram Gwenzi (48) of Mount Selinda area in Chipinge east of Zimbabwe is a survivor of tuberculosis (TB).

In January 2002, Gwenzi worked in Mutare while his wife and two children stayed back in their rural area.

“I started coughing while at work and took some days off hoping over the counter cough syrups would help. One week later, my condition worsened and I called my wife Mirriam who immediately came to Mutare.

“She took me to a private doctor,” said Gwenzi, a former truck driver.

Coughing a lot, body aches, a fever and no appetite Gwenzi had a sputum test. He was also given some medication, which too, did not change his condition.

“The doctor referred me to Victoria Chitepo Hospital where I was told to go for an X ray since they suspected TB.

“The X ray confirmed I had TB. Back then, doctors told me to go under the TB Directly-Observed Treatment (DOTs) programme for treatment. By the time I finished my TB treatment, I was fully recovered,” recalled Gwenzi.

He urged those diagnosed with TB to adhere to their medication.

“I had TB at a time one would take more than 14 tablets each day.

“It was before the introduction of the fixed dose combination treatment and taking the tablets everyday was hard. I could have stopped but continued to take the medication,” he said.

Adherence, he emphasised, saved his life.

While battling TB, he also tested positive for HIV.

“I could have died, but I am happy I adhered to the medication for six long months.

“I always tell people I know of the importance of adherence whether to TB or HIV treatment, or any other ailment. Adherence is key, it saves lives. I adhere to my HIV treatment,” he explained.

A community health worker, Chipo Murambwa and TB survivor, said she has been helping the community through information dissemination on the air-borne disease.

She also raises awareness in churches and other public gatherings.

“I emphasise on the importance of adherence, why one should finish their treatment as this prevents developing multi-drug resistant TB,” she said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WH0), March 24 marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

World Tuberculosis Day is now observed on March 24 each year.

This year’s theme is: “Invest to end TB. Save Lives.”

The day is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease.

According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), TB is an airborne disease. It spread between humans through inhaling the air infected with TB germs through cough, sneeze or spit from an infected person.

Common symptoms of active lung TB are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

Speaking to The Herald, a representative of people living with diseases who is also a TB Champion for StopTB Partnership Zimbabwe and Global Fund co-ordinating committee, Tariro Kutadza, said this year’s theme conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.

“This is especially critical in the context of the Covid-19 that has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care.

“Domestic financing is key. This calls for multi-sectoral efforts to End TB,” she pointed out.

According to the Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe, TB is the number three cause of death among communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases.

In Zimbabwe, community health workers also play a critical and effective role in active screening and referring suspected cases of TB to clinics and hospitals.

Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) Executive Director, Itai Rusike, said World TB Day 2022 came at a critical time.

“This year is a critical year for us in the global fight to end TB as we countdown to reach the UN High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB targets which the international community agreed to meet by the end of December,” he said.

“It is time to take urgent action to get back on track and accelerate collective efforts to fulfil the 2022 UN targets on TB to defeat the disease and save lives.”

Mr Rusike said commitments made, and targets set by Heads of State and other leaders to accelerate action to TB must be kept even during Covid-19 crisis and should be backed by adequate investments.

“This will help to protect the lives of thousands of people suffering from TB and to prevent further loss of gains made in the fight against TB.

“Not one more person should die from TB because it is a preventable and treatable disease,” he added.

According to Mr Rusike, TB remains a major obstacle to attaining the SDG vision of health, development, and prosperity for all in Zimbabwe.

“Our country has an estimated 21,000 new cases of TB each year, and 3.1 percent of these are drug resistant.

“6 300 Zimbabweans die of TB each year despite it being preventable and curable. Funding for research on TB in Zimbabwe is minimal, and new tools to prevent, diagnose and treat TB are urgently required,” he explained.

Mr Rusike further said there is an opportunity to leverage Covid-19 infrastructure and investments to improve the TB response, integrate TB and Covid-19 testing and tracing, and strengthen efforts to overcome the barriers that people continue to face when accessing TB services.

“Without adequate financial resources, we cannot win the fight against TB and reverse the severe impact of Covid-19.

“The disruptions caused by the pandemic have led to increased mortality from TB, decreased the number of people diagnosed and treated for TB, and dangerously affected the rights of people with TB. The highly Infectious disease continues to kill around 4 100 people worldwide everyday,” he noted.

Globally, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers.

WHO says each day, over 4 100 people lose their lives to TB and close to 28 000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.

“Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since the year 2000.

“However, the Covid-19 has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020,” WHO said.

WHO further states that globally 9,9 million people fell ill with TB in 2020.

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@RoselyneSachiti