Survivors lead fight against TB

TUBERCULOSIS survivors have taken an active role in the identification of cases in their communities as part of efforts to improve the national response to the disease.

Those cured of the disease, who have been integrated into the local clinics where they stay, have been instrumental in ensuring that missing TB cases are identified and patients start treatment.

Speaking at a TB survivors’ stakeholders meeting in Harare’s Dzivarasekwa suburb last week, Sister Fransisca Hore, a registered general nurse at Rujeko polyclinic opportunistic infections department, said survivors were key to the national TB response as they were better placed to encourage others to get screened.

“We have these health promoters and TB survivors who have been helping us in identifying people with symptoms of TB. They have a screening tool which they use to identify someone who could be a TB patient. So if they see someone who has been coughing, has experienced high body temperature, night sweats or weight loss, they speak with them and convince them to get screened then refer that person to us for further investigations,” she said.

Sister Hore said this had resulted in an increased rate of case identification as well as better management of cases to avoid default on treatment.

The survivors, who fall under the purview of the Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe, a network of all partners dealing with TB in Zimbabwe, have received training from Jointed Hands welfare organisation to be able to provide the services.

JHWO advocacy, communication and resource mobilisation officer Ms Melody Mukundwi said survivors had the power to shape the response to TB.

“We support them in partnership with the Ministry of Health and we build their capacity for them to be active in the TB response. From the experience they got from surviving the disease, they have the power to shape the TB response so that it can meet the needs of the people who are affected by TB. They are better able to fight stigma and discrimination that is associated with TB, to raise awareness around TB and to give psycho-social support to those who are currently battling the disease so that they are motivated to remain on treatment. They can also do contact tracing where they visit affected families and get the family members to be screened as well. They also help to make sure that there is early detection by finding those people who are missing who have TB. If we continue working with them we can end TB,” she said.

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