Development in Limpopo province, on the occasion of World TB Day
24 March 2007
Programme Director Kgosi Mafefe
Executive Mayor of Capricorn District Municipality
Mayor of Lepelle Nkumpi Municipality
Councillors
Ladies and Gentlemen
World TB Day is celebrated throughout the world. TB was declared a global
emergency in 1993 and South Africa has joined the rest of the world in
celebrating this day. TB was declared a national emergency and a priority
disease in South Africa in 1996. Our province first celebrated World TB Day in
1998 in Kgapane Stadium and ever since we have not missed a single
celebration.
The purpose of celebrating this day is to make the people of our province
aware of the seriousness of TB. We also want to work in partnership with other
stakeholders such as Traditional Leaders, Councillors, Traditional Healers,
Religious Leaders, business sector and other formations in our communities.
Our theme this year is âTB ANYWHERE IS TB EVERYWHEREâ. This theme is
intended to make people to take TB serious. By now all of us should know that
TB is a decease caused by bacteria that usually attacks the lungs or any other
part of the body such as kidneys, spine and brain. If not treated, it can be
fatal. TB spread through the air from one person to another through
coughing.
TB is one of the major health challenges facing our province. This disease
continues to spread because of the difficult social conditions under which our
people live. These poverty-related challenges, which government is determined
to address, include poor nutrition and inadequate housing.
Signs and symptoms of TB are:
* coughing for more than two weeks
* coughing up sputum and later blood
* loss of appetite
* chest pains
* loss of weight
* feeling of tiredness or weakness of the whole body
* night sweats
* shortness of breath.
Let us ensure that TB cases are detected and diagnosed as early as possible
and ensure treatment success. Our main challenge still remains the inability of
patients to complete treatment, leading to the development of drug resistant
strains of TB-which is more challenging and expensive to treat.
TB and HIV are related because they both destroy the immune system. But not
all HIV positive people have TB and not all people with TB are HIV positive. As
government we are committed and as a result we have given TB special attention
in the province by making it a directorate and providing it with the necessary
resources and support. We have increased social mobilisation, awareness
campaigns, door to door campaigns, make materials available to communities. We
provide free TB treatment at all government institutions. We have opened a
multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB hospital in the province. We are able to detect
and management of extreme drug resistant (XDR) TB patients. We are training
health care workers of all categories, that is, doctors, nurses at all levels
of care in hospitals, health centres and clinics. We have ensured that TB is
treated as a crisis.
With all these effort by government, some of the challenges are:
* poor compliance to treatment leading to high defaulter rates
* high TB/HIV co-infection rates
* poor Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) strategy implementation
* high mobility of patients with poor referral system so patients get lost from
the system.
* low knowledge of TB and importance of completing treatment
* high MDR TB prevalence rate
* sustainability of Direct Observation Treatment (DOT) Supporters
Let us salute our volunteers for the wonderful work they are doing. Amongst
these giants we have Mme Agnes Mahlodi Malesa a committed volunteer for 17
years. To all the DOT supporters we say thank you for the support you have been
providing for all these years. This kind of partnership is critical and we
should not loose focus of the importance of our work. Pele ka di DOT supporters
Pele!
Let us leave this place with the following message:
* All South Africans must join hands in the fight against TBâthe importance of
partnerships cannot be overemphasised
* TB can be cured
* TB is not infectious once treatment has been started and taken
correctly
* TB testing and treatment is available free of charge at all Health care
facilities
* Communities need to be involved in the fight against TB
* Communities need to be protected from the threat of MDR TB and XDR TB
Wherever we are, let us remember that:
* Once you have started TB treatment it is essential to complete your
treatment, this should take for about six months
* If you have a cough for more than two weeks and/or persistent night sweats
you should go to your nearest clinic for a check-up, as you could have TB
* TB can be cured
* If you know someone with TB your support is needed to help them complete
their course of treatment
* If you are HIV positive you need to be aware that you are at an increased
risk of TB. If you have a cough or are not feeling well for a while then make
sure your doctor or nurse checks you for TB
I thank you all.
Issued by: Department of Health, Limpopo Provincial Government
24 March 2007
Source: Limpopo Provincial Government (http://www.limpopo.gov.za/)
