BY SIBUSISEKILE NDLANGAMANDLA
MANZINI– Eswatini has reduced its tuberculosis burden to 319 cases per 100 000 people, marking measurable progress in the country’s efforts to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat the disease.
National TB-HIV Services Coordinator Similo Simelane said the current figure represents significant progress from the higher tuberculosis burden recorded around 2022. He said the improvement has been supported by strengthened interventions across the tuberculosis response, including prevention, case finding, diagnosis, treatment and management.
Despite the progress, Simelane said tuberculosis remains a public health challenge because it is an airborne disease that can continue spreading from one person to another. He said continued efforts to identify tuberculosis cases early remain important in reducing transmission and ensuring that affected people receive treatment before their condition becomes severe.
The National TB Control Programme has therefore continued strengthening case finding and other interventions aimed at reaching people who may have tuberculosis but are not aware that they are infected.
Simelane said treatment coverage has reached approximately 86 per cent, with the country targeting 90 per cent by 2028. He explained that treatment coverage refers to people who have been identified with tuberculosis and subsequently placed on treatment and supported throughout the treatment process.
The programme is working towards increasing this coverage further, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that all people who require tuberculosis treatment are identified and receive appropriate care.
Progress has also been recorded in tuberculosis diagnosis, with more cases now being bacteriologically confirmed rather than being diagnosed solely on clinical signs and symptoms.
Simelane said stronger bacteriological confirmation improves the ability of health workers to accurately identify tuberculosis cases and connect patients with the appropriate treatment.
The country is also strengthening tuberculosis prevention through TB Preventive Therapy, particularly among eligible people living with HIV and people who have been exposed to tuberculosis.
TB Preventive Therapy is provided to people who do not have active tuberculosis but may have been infected or exposed to the disease, helping prevent latent infection from developing into active tuberculosis.
Simelane said this remains an important part of the national response, although ensuring that household contacts, particularly those who are HIV-negative, take preventive treatment continues to require attention. He said some people may not consider themselves at risk because they feel healthy, despite having been exposed to someone with tuberculosis.
Community screening is being supported by chest X-ray technology and computer-aided detection, which assists health workers in identifying possible tuberculosis cases. Simelane said the technology is being taken closer to communities, including high-burden areas and hard-to-reach communities, as part of efforts to strengthen active case finding.
The progress recorded in the tuberculosis burden, treatment coverage and diagnostic confirmation provides measurable indicators of the country’s ongoing response while highlighting the need for continued community participation in preventing and controlling the disease.
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