Health experts call for swift TB action

HEALTH experts said this week the government must urgently channel resources towards the fight against tuberculosis, as infections remain high.

Zimbabwe joined the rest of the globe to mark World TB Day on Sunday.

It was commemorated under the theme “YES! We Can End TB’’.

Itai Rusike, director at Community Working Group on Health, said Zimbabwe records around 21 000 new cases of TB annually, with 3,1% of these being drug resistant (DR).

The number of new cases were estimated at about 16 300 in 2021.

Experts said TB claimed the lives of 1,3 million people worldwide in 2022.

In Zimbabwe, TB kills close to 6 300 people annually, which is an increase from 4 600 deaths in 2019.

It is the third leading cause of death in Zimbabwe, according to official statistics.“This is unacceptable,” Rusike said.

“We know how to end TB. We have the lifesaving tools to prevent, diagnose and treat TB. But we must break down the barriers and inequities that cause millions of people to suffer and die from TB every year.

“We note the growing epidemic of DR-TB, affecting mainly poor and vulnerable populations in our country and we call upon our government to take necessary steps to address and strengthen the health systems, by investing resources to prevent transmission.

“They must expand access to early diagnosis and effective treatment for all forms of TB,” he said.

Rusike said the government should provide financial support for TB research in Zimbabwe, as well as, developing innovative methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease.

“Funding for research on TB in Zimbabwe is minimal, and new tools to prevent, diagnose and treat TB are urgently required.”

According to research, TB is widespread in communities that are ravaged by poverty, poor housing, inadequate nutrition and overcrowded transport systems. Its transmission is aggravated by unsafe working conditions.

“Without adequate financial resources, we cannot win the fight against TB but it is also important to note that the fight against TB is everyone’s responsibility and not just for the health sector alone. We should all take action to address it,” Rusike said.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease. Its control hinges on preventing people from getting infected.

Ministry of Heal and Child Care Aids and TB deputy director Fungai Kavenga said government has put in place measures to curtail the spread of the disease.

“At health facility level, individuals are screened for TB symptoms at every visit and undergo further tests if symptoms are present,” he said in an interview with Zimbabwe Independent.

“Community level activities involve targeted active screening for TB using mobile trucks and volunteers, focusing on high-risk groups, such as mining communities.”

Kavenga emphasised that trends showed that TB in some cases is “HIV-driven”.

“Prevention therapy is offered for those at higher risk of developing TB,” he added.

Kavenga said government had procured TB detecting equipment.

“In terms of treatment, efforts are being made to update guidelines, ensure a steady supply of commodities and medicines, provide laboratory support services for patients on treatment, offer social and financial support, and train healthcare workers,” he said.

“These measures aim to provide quality care and increase retention of patients in treatment programmes.”

According to the World Health Organisation Global TB Report of 2023, TB remains a major public health emergency globally. (The Zimbabwe Independent)

Zimbabweans turn to medicinal herbs as the cost of drugs soars

PEOPLE are flooding traditional herbal markets, as prices of prescription drugs spike and the public health delivery system deteriorates at an alarming rate under pressures from a relentless economic crisis, experts said this week.

This comes as regulators, Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) threw caution against unregistered medicine.

Many of the vital drugs that patients require are readily available in private hospitals and pharmacies, but are unaffordable to the majority of Zimbabweans.

In a country where the domestic unit has been battered by an inflation rate estimated at 47,6% in February, consumer buying power has been eroded.

Private players also demand United States dollars, which were this week selling at US$1:ZW$27 000, shutting millions out of the health delivery system.

Experts said as a result, millions were trooping to traditional medicines.

But it is a market fraught with dangers, according to experts who spoke to the Zimbabwe Independent.

It is a repeat of the health crisis that shook the country in 2008, when the domestic unit crashed under 500 billion percent inflation, leading to the crumbling of State hospitals and clinics.

Itai Rusike, a public health specialist, told the Independent that it was increasingly difficult for patients to access drugs in public health institutions.

“Devaluation and consequent inflation have increased the cost of drugs for consumers,” Rusike said.

“Foreign currency shortages undermine drug purchases, hence the significant drop in drug availability at urban and rural clinics due to the increased stock-outs of vital drugs, reducing confidence in the system.

“This represents an unfair cost burden on poor communities. It also opens the way for the growth of private unregulated drug markets and traditional herbal medicine is clearly one way that poor communities are making up for the falling availability of and access to western medicines,” he said.

However, George Kandiero, president of the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha) threw caution against the use of herbal medicines, which are sold on the streets and other back stage markets.

“It is very unhygienic for you to be selling your wares on 4th Street (a common herbal medicine market in Harare),” he said, emphasising that patients must make use of registered traditional healers.

“The advantage of someone (a traditional healer) who is registered is that you are thoroughly inspected and there are standards that you must follow.

“At times you see some of the funny things that people are putting into their bodies, which are very harmful. They don’t know how long they would have stayed on the streets.

“The credibility of registered practitioners is being put at risk. This happens in any other profession where someone is doing a shady job. People end up thinking everyone who is in that profession does the same. Something should be done,” Kandiero added.

MCAZ asserted that many herbal medicines fall under a broad category of medicines called complementary medicines and they can be used to treat some conditions or to supplement dietary nutrients like vitamins, minerals among others.

“The risk in these medicines lies in that not all their side effects and medicinal interactions are known and herbal medicines can only be distributed through licenced wholesalers,” MCAZ said.