Programme set to scale up TB fight in Likoma

Likoma District director of health and social services Gracewell Mathewe says the launch of the community tuberculosis (TB) programme will revamp community structures that will help to control the spread of the disease.

In an interview yesterday, the official said the programme will train volunteers carrying out various activities at grassroots level such as TB screening, testing, referring TB cases to the hospital for treatment and monitoring TB treatment in the district.

“Currently, six people have tested positive for the disease and we believe that through the programme, we will be able to detect more cases and treat them in time because there will be more volunteers to do the job,” he said.   

Likoma District sexual and reproductive health rights  programme coordinator Williot Joaquim Lumber said the national programme was designed to control the spread of TB in communities.

“This is a community-based programme and the main objective is to control the spread of TB in the communities and also controlling other diseases related to TB,” he said.

With funding from Global Fund, the district launched the 2021-2023 TB Programme to reduce cases of the contagious disease.