Mobility challenges hamper TB fight in Chiradzulu
Tuberculosis (TB) community volunteers in Chiradzulu District have cited mobility challenges as one of the issues affecting their work.
Speaking on Wednesday at Njuli during the World Bank-funded media tour on National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Elimination Programme, one of the volunteers Anthony Malisale from Juwa Village, Traditional Authority Mpama said they are finding their work difficult because most communities live in hard-to-reach areas.
He said: “We move door-to-door to people’s houses twice a week to check their condition.
“We are struggling to reach more people with the services because we only have two push bikes which are also obsolete.”
Malisale, who is also Njuli Community Sputum Collection Point chairperson, said as volunteers their work is hampered by mobility challenges.
during the meeting
Her counterpart, Mary Mwenyemasi, who is the group’s secretary, said the mobility challenges are paralysing their work.
“We started our work in July 2022 and I am glad that we have identified five people who were diagnosed with TB and they are currently fine,” she said.
A community member who suffered from TB, Effie Kaiwe, commended the community volunteers’ approach.
The district’s TB officer Patrick Chikuni said they are performing well in the fight against the disease.
He said between January and March this year, the treatment success rate was at 95 percent, case finding rate was at 112 percent while death rate was at 4.6 percent.
When compared to the same period last year, treatment success rate was at 87 percent, case finding at 88.5 percent and death rate at 11 percent.
