Tag: TUBERCULOSIS

Minister Mombeshora Commends TB Progress, Calls for Innovation and Local Funding

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere With several donors pulling out of tuberculosis (TB) programs, Zimbabwe’s dwindling funding base has renewed calls for sustainable domestic financing to keep the disease under control. Officiating the three-day National TB Conference in Harare, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr. Douglas Mombeshora commended healthcare workers for their efforts in helping Zimbabwe exit the World Health Organization (WHO) list of the top 30 high-burden TB countries. “We meet at a moment when we can reflect with confidence on how far we have come. In 2021, Zimbabwe reached…

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NSSA Partners Tshiamiso Trust to Support Ex-Mineworkers Affected by Silicosis and TB

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tshiamiso Trust to pave the way for the compensation of former mineworkers in South African mines who suffered permanent lung damage due to silicosis and those who contracted work-related tuberculosis (TB). The MoU formalises cooperation between the Government of Zimbabwe, through the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), and Tshiamiso Trust to ensure access to compensation for eligible former mineworkers and their dependents. Following a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, Baines Occupational Health Services was appointed in November…

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Union Zimbabwe Trust Rolls Out Groundbreaking TB and Silicosis Screening Drive in Mining Hubs of Mberengwa and Zvishavane

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  The Union Zimbabwe Trust (UZT), with funding from the Stop TB Partnership (Global), has launched an innovative tuberculosis (TB) screening outreach programme aimed at boosting early detection and treatment in high-risk artisanal mining communities in Mberengwa and Zvishavane. The initiative employs a mobile outreach model, featuring ultra-portable digital X-ray machines enhanced with CAD-AI (Computer-Aided Diagnosis) technology. This allows for real-time interpretation of X-ray images to detect abnormalities suggestive of TB and silicosis. The programme also includes rapid field specimen testing for diagnosis and integrates screening for other…

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Botswana Launches National TB Caucus to Combat Tuberculosis Crisis

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Botswana has launched its National TB Caucus, a landmark initiative uniting policymakers, health experts, and civil society to accelerate efforts in tackling tuberculosis (TB). The launch, held in Gaborone, aligns with global targets set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. With one of the highest TB incidence rates globally, Botswana is stepping up its fight against the disease, which remains a major public health concern. Tuberculosis continues to pose a significant challenge for Botswana, with an incidence rate of…

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In Zimbabwe, a Mobile App “One Impact” Has Enhanced Human Rights Outcomes for Persons with TB

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa As a young person who has survived Tuberculosis (TB), Munyaradzi Saruchera (27) from Dzivarasekwa in Harare now wants to make an impact in Zimbabwe’s TB response. He volunteers as a TB champion under the Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe. His roles encompass getting feedback from the TB community regarding access to services, monitoring TB patients, and following them up to check if they adhere to medications. He also monitors the availability of TB services and commodities such as TB medicines, and screening services. However, collecting data and feedback…

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El Nino Induced Drought Presents Bleak Future For TB Patients In Zimbabwe As Many Could Discontinue Treatment

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The heat wave is blazing hot in Shurugwi, a small town in the Midlands province, and Brighton Mangwiro (30), is preparing to go to the gold mine shaft where he temporarily works. Due to the El Nino weather patterns, the heavens have not been so generous in the just-ended 2023-2024 cropping season, and many farmers in Shurugwi are already counting their losses. This has pushed more young men, and women in the area into artisanal gold mining in a bid to fend for themselves and loved ones.…

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Incapacitated DR-TB Patients Bear The Brunt of Catastrophic Costs

Michael Gwarisa

Nqobizitha Nkomo and his wife from Insiza District in Matebeleland South, were both diagnosed of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) about a year ago. Even though they say they are feeling better,  Nkomo recounts how their situation almost reduced them to beggars of some sort in their quest to sustain their treatment and recovery journey. By Michael Gwarisa Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is a form of tuberculosis which has developed resistance to the main medicines used to treat TB. This form of TB can be resistant to one or more anti-TB medicines.…

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Surviving TB As A Young Person. Tracing Dr Tanaka Mukuhwa’s Journey With TB

Michael Gwarisa

Tanaka Mukuhwa (19) from Mutare is a Tuberculosis Survivor and a young person living openly with HIV. He was diagnosed with Meningitis Tuberculosis (TB) at the age of 13 when he was still in school and stayed in hospital for six months. By Michael Gwarisa His story illustrates the profound consequences tuberculosis can have on young people especially those at the prime of their lives. Even though Tanaka’s story has a happy ending and describes unexpected positives amidst the challenges of tuberculosis treatment, including how this disease might provide an…

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Three Times TB Survivor Now Leading Fight against TB from the Front

Michael Gwarisa

Barbara Farashishko (52) from Mabvuku, Harare, will always remember the year 1995 as they year her entire life changed completely following a Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis at Parirenyatwa Hospital. The events that followed her positive TB diagnosis led to a plethora of misfortunes such as losing her Job, loss of family, massive stigma from family and society and above all, two more TB reinfections in the years that followed. By Michael Gwarisa Her TB journey started when she was pregnant in 1995 after she began coughing and experiencing shortness of breath…

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