March is TB awareness month

The Department of Health has embarked on an extensive TB awareness campaign around the country.

The month of March is one of the highlights on the department's "health awareness calender", and a huge effort will be made to distribute information regarding the disease. Several activities will take place in the Vhembe region.

The Makhado TB centre's Suzan Ngobeni said that the region had already started the campaign by informing the public about the symptoms and the importance of finishing the prescribed medication.

According to the provincial health spokesperson, Mr Joe Maila, the aim of the awareness campaign is twofold: to cure patients and also to prompt the public to know their TB status. He said that the department wanted to get the word out that TB could ruin people's lives if not treated. “People must know their TB status, and those who are infected must take their medication as prescribed," says Maila.

He said that the campaign also aimed to reduce the number of people who were infected with the disease. Therefore, the public will also be informed about ways the disease can be transferred between people.

Maila said that the provincial department had already met all the health facilitators and had encouraged them to visit the houses where TB patients were living. “TB does not only affect the infected, but also those who are living with them. Our health workers will teach them how to cope living with TB patients and to manage it until it is cured. We will also be doing a screening to check if no other family members have been infected," he said.

Tuberculosis, which regarded as a disease of poverty, affects mainly young adults in their most productive years. The communication officer of Vhembe's District Department of Health, Ndivhuwo Nthangeni, said that the region had also set up a plan of action. “The region will also embark on an awareness campaign. We will be going to the prisons to discuss the disease with the inmates," he said.

According to Tuberculosis.emedtv online, Tuberculosis is a disease caused by germs that are spread from one person to another through the air. It said that TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine.

In most cases, TB is treatable, but persons with TB can die if they do not get proper treatment.

The website indicates that TB germs are put into the air when a person with the disease coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings. “These germs can float in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. Persons who breathe in the air containing these TB germs can become infected.”

Date:29 February 2012

By: Rulani Baloyi

Read: 1171