Education is the key to stopping tuberculosis in its tracks, and the City's health department is sending out educators into the community to teach people about the disease.

WORLD Tuberculosis Day this year falls on Family Day, Monday, 24 March - rather fittingly as the theme, "I am stopping TB; join us to fight TB", aims to get people to unite in the battle against the disease.

Johannesburg's health department will use the day to declare war on ignorance surrounding tuberculosis (TB) and will conduct campaigns to raise awareness of the severity of the epidemic.

TB is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily targets the lungs, but can infect any part of the body. It is spread through droplets of moisture expelled by coughing, spitting or sneezing. Immuno-compromised people, such as those who are HIV-positive, are particularly vulnerable.

Clinics will be raising awareness about TB

The City will conduct TB imbizos and door-to-door health education visits across all seven of its regions, until the end of March. Educators will be transported across the city, stopping at places where the public gathers, such as taxi ranks, clinics, hostels, informal settlements and shopping malls. They will raise awareness about TB, giving critical information on the disease and treatment.

TB testing and treatment is provided free of charge at all government clinics. "Persons who cough for more than two weeks and suffer from weight loss and night sweats should consider having a free TB test done," urges Nkosinathi Nkabinde, the City's health communications officer.

He says that through treatment, the disease is "totally" curable. "Medication given must be taken [frequently] for a period of six to eight months."

New infections
According to the City's health department, each year the number of newly diagnosed TB patients increases. Last year alone, City clinics diagnosed about 17 810 TB patients, of which 2 085 were children, Nkabinde says. "The TB epidemic is aggravated by HIV ... and the increasing threat of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB)," he says, adding that the only effective ways of eradicating TB are highly reliant on patients adhering to "the full course" of treatment, and on people being vaccinated against it.

Nkabinde notes that Johannesburg is regarded as the best performing district in the country regarding the implementation of the National TB Crisis Plan. "The City renewed its efforts to improve TB services after being selected with three other metros to implement the TB Crisis Plan ... The words, ‘I am stopping TB' say that everyone can take an active role in the prevention of the spread of tuberculosis."

Strategies devised to improve services in the fight against the disease include increasing the capacity to diagnose and treat TB, strengthening the laboratory network, improving case management, developing referral systems for referring patients from hospitals to clinics, ensuring adequate support for patients during their treatment, increasing awareness through advocacy and social mobilisation, and improving TB and HIV collaboration, Nkabinde explains.

The Gauteng department of health is adding to the City's efforts. It wants to emphasise that TB is a curable disease, provided that the patient completes the treatment. A fun run and formal event it held on Wednesday, 19 March in Sebokeng in the Vaal Triangle, was aimed at teaching people about the signs of TB and encouraging them "to assist those who have TB by walking with them through the journey of treatment", reads a press statement.

For more information telephone Zanele Mngadi on 082 330 1148 or Howard Ndaba on 082 334 9851.

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