Alvine Kapitako WINDHOEK – There is a decline in the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases that have been identified and reported in Namibia.
Namibia, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), recorded a treatment success rate of 85% in 2009.
According to Dr Ghirmay Andemichael, Officer-In-Charge of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Namibia, screening of TB patients for HIV is steadily improving and community TB care is being expanded.
“These are encouraging developments and sufficient justification for optimism towards achievement of Millennium Development Goal Six in Namibia. At the same time, we are mindful of the challenges that the programme is facing that include a high TB-HIV co-infection rate, and the emergence of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB,” Andemichael said on Monday.
He highlighted poor adherence to treatment with first-line anti-TB medicines as one of the root causes of the emergence of drug resistant TB.
He said TB remains a major public health problem in the world, adding that there are an estimated 9 million new infections of which 250 000 are multi-drug resistant TB in the world.
New TB infections constitute 30% in Africa while the continent contributes only 14% of the world population’s figures.
In 2004, 11% to 13% of new TB cases were HIV positive. “The African region contributed to a significant proportion of the TB/HIV co-infection,” Andemichael noted.
Despite these, there is a ray of hope because overall TB new infection cases have fallen in most parts of the world, except in South-East Asia where the occurrence rate remains the same, he stated.
“Death rate due to TB has fallen by around 35 per cent in the last two decades. The reduction of deaths due to TB was recorded in five of the six WHO regions except in Africa. This calls for redoubling of our efforts in the African continent,” he said.
World TB Day is commemorated every year on March 24. This year’s theme is: ‘On the Move Against Tuberculosis-Transforming the Fight Towards Elimination.”
In Namibia, the main event is scheduled to take place at Rundu.
http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=37859&title=Namibia%20shows%20success%20%20in%20TB%20care
Namibia, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), recorded a treatment success rate of 85% in 2009.
According to Dr Ghirmay Andemichael, Officer-In-Charge of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Namibia, screening of TB patients for HIV is steadily improving and community TB care is being expanded.
“These are encouraging developments and sufficient justification for optimism towards achievement of Millennium Development Goal Six in Namibia. At the same time, we are mindful of the challenges that the programme is facing that include a high TB-HIV co-infection rate, and the emergence of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB,” Andemichael said on Monday.
He highlighted poor adherence to treatment with first-line anti-TB medicines as one of the root causes of the emergence of drug resistant TB.
He said TB remains a major public health problem in the world, adding that there are an estimated 9 million new infections of which 250 000 are multi-drug resistant TB in the world.
New TB infections constitute 30% in Africa while the continent contributes only 14% of the world population’s figures.
In 2004, 11% to 13% of new TB cases were HIV positive. “The African region contributed to a significant proportion of the TB/HIV co-infection,” Andemichael noted.
Despite these, there is a ray of hope because overall TB new infection cases have fallen in most parts of the world, except in South-East Asia where the occurrence rate remains the same, he stated.
“Death rate due to TB has fallen by around 35 per cent in the last two decades. The reduction of deaths due to TB was recorded in five of the six WHO regions except in Africa. This calls for redoubling of our efforts in the African continent,” he said.
World TB Day is commemorated every year on March 24. This year’s theme is: ‘On the Move Against Tuberculosis-Transforming the Fight Towards Elimination.”
In Namibia, the main event is scheduled to take place at Rundu.
http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=37859&title=Namibia%20shows%20success%20%20in%20TB%20care
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