Mpanda — ABOUT 1,000 people in Mpanda Municipality of Katavi region have been diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) during a period between 2019 and 2022, it has been disclosed.
The latest available reports show that 253 people were diagnosed with TB infections in 2019. The following yeas with respective numbers in brackets are; 2020 (265), 2021 (435) and in 2022 (431).
The statistics was made public by Mpanda District Commissioner (DC), Ms Jamila Yusuf during the event to commemorate World TB Day held yesterday at Kababaye marker here in municipality. During the occasion the DC was represented by Mr Gilbert Bayaga
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s estimates for 2022, Tanzania is among 30 countries with the highest TB burden, with at least 73 Tanzanians dying each day from TB and the healthcare system missing approximately 35 per cent of patients
The DC, in her written speech, said that the government had continued to take measure to fight the spread of the disease by increasing the construction health facilities and budget.
She also asked members of the public to accord full cooperation to the government and other development partners in waging the war against TB.
"Each individual has the duty to take all the necessary precautionary measures since a single patient who is not yet diagnosed can infect 10 to 20 persons in just one year. I appealing to the citizens to adhere to the directives issued by the Ministry of Health and local government authorities," stressed the DC
Initially, Mpanda Municipal TB and Leprosy Coordinator, Dr Bruno Cronely said 2021 municipality records show that 33 TB patients died which is equivalent to 7.6 percent .
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, who launched it recently at an event to commemorate World TB Day in Bariadi district of Simiyu region, instructed all the ministries mentioned in the framework to set strategic measures to combat the epidemic.
Mr Majaliwa added that Tanzania has made progress towards TB eradication as a result of various governments' measures.
"According to data from the WHO, TB-related mortality has fallen by 55 per cent from 55,000 in 2015 to 25,800 in 2022. Similar to that, there is a decrease in new infections from 306 patients per 100,000 people to 208 patients per 100,000 people, which is a decrease of 32 per cent.
"We need to come together in charting out strategies to fight TB. If everyone plays his/her part in this battle against TB, we can confidently break the chain of its new infections, including preventing unnecessary deaths, since the disease is preventable and curable" stressed the PM.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Initially speaking at the occasion in Simiyu region, the Minister for Health, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, stated that statistics show 71 patients in this country lose their lives every day due to TB. She urged the community to seek treatment because the disease is curable.
With regard to the treatment, Ms Mwalimu stated that right now, medications are provided for six months, as opposed to earlier, when the entire course of treatment was 18 months.
The patient no longer needs to be admitted to the hospital, but when the treatment begins, a plan will be made for how to acquire medication for the next six months.
Children under the age of five, miners, and healthcare professionals are at the greatest risk of infection, according to Dr George Ngomela, a representative of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Institute.
