ZIMBABWE’S tuberculosis (TB) cases increase to 20 100 last year from 19 500 prior year, an official from the ministry of Health has said.
Speaking during world TB commemorations in Mahusekwa district on Monday Health Ministry director Owen Mugurungi said Zimbabwe was working towards significantly reducing TB cases.
“In 2024, Zimbabwe notified 20,189 TB cases, an increase from 19,545 cases in 2023. Our National TB Program has worked tirelessly to expand access to diagnosis, treatment, and care,” he said.
“To mention a few, the program has been implementing the following interventions rapid molecular testing equipment recommended by the World Health Organisation(WHO),” he said.
He added that WHO was now widely available throughout the country, along with sufficient lab consumables.
“The program has enhanced the national TB surveillance system, which includes active case-finding efforts, targeted TB screening, Hybrid TB contact investigation, and the use of stool samples for detecting childhood TB.
“We have intensified monitoring and evaluation, including data capturing and uploading figures into DHIS2. The 6th edition of the National TB guidelines has been disseminated to ensure all testing sites have access to the latest information,” he said.
Mugurungi said to eradicate TB, the country must invest in research, innovation, and the development of new tools, including vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.
“Additionally, we must invest in our healthcare infrastructure to ensure our facilities can provide quality TB care. This includes newer approaches such as digital X Ray machines with Al technology, use of stool in diagnosis and virtual platforms in building capacity as well as more real-time data management approaches. I urge our partners, both local and international, to continue supporting Zimbabwe in this fight,” he said.
National Aids Council (Nac) monitoring and evaluation director Amon Mpofu said their organization was committed to treat HIV and TB as most of the patients with HIV have a high risk of having TB.
“Our role as Nac is to coordinate HIV programmes and we are also taking advantage of TB since we have systems already. “We are also involved in the process of procuring TB medicines and equipment in an effort to fight against the disease in the country.”
“HIV and TB exists together and we have trained our community workers in TB management which helps in TB referral and treatment,” he said.
