City of Joburg battles tuberculosis
An important part of this year’s initiatives will be to find the missing patients who were diagnosed but did not commence or continue with their treatment programme.
The City of Joburg has stepped up its efforts towards eradicating the debilitating disease that is tuberculosis (TB) after celebrating World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) tuberculosis (TB) remains an epidemic in developing countries, and South Africa has one of the highest numbers of TB cases, which is the leading cause of death. The WHO estimates that in 2017, South Africa had 322 000 new cases of active TB.
As part of an international push to eliminate TB, the clinics in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) will create awareness and screen patients for TB and HIV/AIDS. An important part of this year’s outreach will be to find the missing patients who were diagnosed but did not commence or continue with their treatment programme.
TB screening and treatment are now free at all City clinics, while the clinics will also be conducting community outreach programmes to support families of individuals who have TB. Nurses will also encourage patients on TB treatment to complete their treatment.
The CoJ Health and Social Department urges residents to visit the clinics if they notice any symptoms of TB. The most common TB symptoms include a persistent cough that continues for more than two weeks, a fever that lasts for longer than 14 days, unexplained weight loss, drenching night sweats, and sudden fatigue among children.
Although TB is infectious, you would have to spend a prolonged period of time in close proximity to someone who has it before you can contract it yourself. TB infection usually spreads between family members who live in the same house.
To prevent the spread of TB, patients need to take their treatment every day for 180 days (six months) even if they feel better. If not, they can get sick again.
Edwin Madibogo, CoJ Public Health Manager, urges communities to “not stigmatise or separate people with TB but rather support them to take their treatment every day”. The lack of social support is one of the main reasons that patients do not finish their treatment.
