TANZANIA is one of the 22 countries with the highest Tuberculosis burden in the world, despite having a well-functioning TB programme, based on World Health Organisation (WHO) strategy for the last 25 years.

It is estimated that 40 to 50 per cent of all people infected with HIV/AIDS could develop TB, as it is commonly called. Despite the TB threat, the disease can be treated and the battle can be won if and only if the victims follow medical instruction that is given by specialists.

The disease kills approximately 32,000 Tanzanians each year, yet laboratory tests for it are slow to provide results, due to inadequate resources and outdated technologies.

According to the WHO estimates, tuberculosis case detection rate in Tanzania is less than 50 per cent and this poses a major challenge to control it in the country.

Currently, one of the defining criteria for suspecting tuberculosis is coughing for two weeks or more. In fact there are a number of diseases of which the government, in line with the public have to fight together so as to eliminate them.

These include Malaria and HIV/AIDS. It is more than a decade since TB was a global emergency disease, with a call for stronger international effort to fight it. Nevertheless, case detection is still low, particularly in the developing world, where this poses a major challenge.

Efforts made by most of the developed world, in early case detection and prompt treatment constitute the basis for TB situation seen in these countries today.

While good TB treatment success rates has been achieved using Directly Observed Therapy (DOTS) on a short course basis, low case detection rates remain an obstacle to the long-term success of control programmes in the developing world.

DOTS coverage in Tanzania is 100 per cent but case detection rates of new smear positive cases have shown a decreasing tendency from 53 per cent in 1998 to 45 per cent in 2005.

A TB Co-ordinator at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dr Ibrahim Mteza, said a number of efforts have been made by the government, through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to increase the number of TB medical centres.

"Earlier the number of TB cases in Tanzania was alarming, but as years pass by the number of cases keeps on dropping even though Tanzania ranks fourteenth in the list of 22 countries.

Statistics indicate that in 1984 there were 11,000 TB patients countrywide, while in 2004 there were 65,000 patients and in 2007 the number dropped to 62,000. Currently, the number ranges between 61,000 and 60,000 patients.

This is evidence that the number dropped due to an increase in the number of health centres," Dr Mteza recently told the 'Daily News.'

Dr Mteza who is also a TB Co-ordinator in Ilala District of Dar es Salaam, also said that most people do not visit health centres for medical checkups, which has brought about a situation where the number of TB victims at homes might only be 50 per cent of those identified.

He, however, added that most TB victims were coming from big cities and cited Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya and Dodoma, saying the infection rate was high in them.

"In fact, 25 per cent of TB patients are from Dar es Salaam; therefore, there is need to ensure that more people acquire TB education," he urges.

Of late, the government through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare received donation of TB devices from the American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), as part of redoubling its efforts to wipe out TB problem in the country.

The products included 40 Light Emitted Diode (LED) microscopes, 1,600 slides boxes and essential cooling equipment all of them valued at 130m/-.

The government of America through USAID pledged to work hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to enhance Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in the country.

Speaking during handing over TB Laboratory equipment in Dar es Salaam recently, USAID HIV/AIDS Team Leader, Ms Elise Jensen, said that the donation comes due to the Tanzania's effort in fighting TB.

"Tanzania has signed key international declarations against TB and has a strong TB programme, but lack of reliable and rapid diagnosis hampers effective treatment of the disease," says Ms Jensen.

On her side, the ministry's Permanent Secretary (PS), Mrs Blandina Nyoni, said Tanzania is ranked fourteenth on the list of 22, high burden tuberculosis to enhance TB countries in the world. She added that besides Tanzania reaching the WHO global target of 85 per cent for treatment success in 2007; the case detection rate for new smear positive TB cases remains below 51 per cent.

TB is a serious problem in the country; where more than 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, she further adds. Speaking on the donation received, the PS said the equipment will be dispersed in some regions with mostly reported TB cases as Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Iringa and Mbeya.

"The equipments we have received today (recently) will be dispersed to some regional and district hospitals. Other equipment that we expect to receive soon will be distributed to the remaining regions," she explained.

She further said that the government looks forward to receiving other TB equipment from the Global Fund, adding that once the equipment arrives; the government will distribute it to the remaining parts.

On his part the Programme Manager of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme, Dr Said Egwaga, said the microscopes donated are powerful and able to take five to seven samples and give results at the same time.

"The equipment donated, especially microscopes have a high capacity, which means they have an ability to test five to seven TB samples, which makes the work easier," says Dr Egwaga.

He adds that the microscopes can also be used in ten consecutive years without renovation, adding that the instrument is also used for malaria tests.