An account from a survivor
have also contributed to his infection. Furthermore he said their working space, the dumpsite, is a haven for bacteria to spread and said ventilation masks could assist while they scavenge. He said this will ensure that they do not spread the bacteria among each other as they work on a day-to-day basis.
Mr Tshuma, who stays with his wife and son, said his family accepted his condition and did not discriminate him, neither did they move out or think he was going to infect them. He said the family ensured that he was observing good practices such as coughing into his elbow and not spitting everywhere around their home as it could infect other people who come in to contact with it.
He encouraged his fellow scavengers that if they have a persistent cough and general unwellness they should visit the nearest clinic and get screened for TB so that they start treatment. Mr Tshuma said those that are found to have TB should adhere to treatment in order for them be successfully treated.
However, Mr Tshuma also mentioned that he has been on PreExposure Prophylaxis (PreP) for the past 40 weeks and is still going on. Asked on why he is on treatment he said prevention was better than cure. He said he wants to ensure that he protects himself also from HIV infection.
The success in treatment of Mr Tshuma is chiefly because the Bulawayo City Council Health department has the best model for integrated Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV care in the country. This was said by the country director of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) Dr Christopher Zishiri. Dr Zishiri said TB has been prioritised in the country as there is a record high of co-infection of TB with HIV.
“With more than two thirds of TB patients co-infected with HIV, we have to prioritise integrated TB-HIV care under one roof. We take pride that Bulawayo city has one of the best models for integrated TB-HIV care,” he said.
Dr Zishiri said The Union acknowledges that provision of TB medicines alone is not enough to end the epidemic.
“As a social disease, TB is largely stigmatised mainly due to limited understanding and knowledge of the disease in the communities. There is need for our leadership to take bold steps in so far as possible health seeking behaviour is concerned,” he said.
The Barcelona and the Bulawayo TB-HIV Declarations, which were signed by the First Lady Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa in April, echo well with the global drive to galvanise political commitment as they look forward to concrete commitments from Heads of States to end TB at the upcoming United Nations High Level meeting on TB in Moscow.
Dr Zishiri said for close to a decade The Union has collaborated with the National TB programme with funding mainly from USAid and the Global Fund to improve access to TB services across the country. The First Lady said the signing of the TB and HIV declarations is critical in light of the planned UN General Assembly High Level meeting on TB to be held this September.
“This meeting seeks to raise political priority for TB and secure commitment from Heads of States and Government for a co-ordinated global response against TB,” she said.
The National Aids Council donated TV sets to the BCC health department to promote access and utilisation of HIV prevention and general health education including TB and non-communicable diseases at city clinics. Health education is one of the strategies which can promote utilisation of HIV prevention together with other conditions such as cancer, TB, diabetes, blood pressure and family planning. The health departments can take advantage of the presence of people at clinics to promote the services and educate people about general hygiene through the use of televisions.