As one way of reducing tuberculosis (TB) in the region, Southern African countries met in Lilongwe last week to address some of the challenges faced in fighting the disease.
The Second Regional Advisory Committee meeting for the Southern Africa Tuberculosis and Health System Support Project which is sponsored by World Bank was held on Wednesday.
Secretary to the treasury Dr Ben Botolo said the meeting was very important in the fight against tuberculosis especially in low income countries including Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
“The project is targeting people suffering from Tuberculosis especially in Africa considering that sometimes it is difficult for people themselves to know if they have TB or not,” he explained.
According to Botolo, the project will therefore help the Southern African countries to conduct awareness on the signs and symptoms of the disease.
He added that the project is also targeting various people especially those working in mining sectors considering that there are a lot of people working in the sector.
On challenges, Botolo said it is sometimes difficult for people to differentiate HIV and AIDS from Tuberculosis as both have similar signs and symptoms. He therefore said they will make sure the misunderstanding is cleared out before it becomes difficult to handle.
Latest reports show that Africa has one of the highest prevalence rates of TB with Malawi’s prevalence rate estimated at 334 per 100,000 people.
