Tanzania reports 40 pc reduction in new TB infections over eight years

Dar es Salaam, March 25 (IANS) Tanzania joined the international community in marking World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, saying the government has successfully reduced new TB infections by about 40 per cent in eight years.

In his message to mark the day, observed on March 24 each year to amplify the urgency of ending tuberculosis, Deputy Minister of Health Godwin Mollel said new TB infections were reduced from 306 patients per 100,000 people in 2015 to 183 patients per 100,000 people in 2023.

Mollel said in a statement released in the national capital of Dodoma that the TB-induced deaths dropped from 56,000 in 2015 to 18,400 in 2023, a reduction of about 67 per cent.

Mollel said this has put Tanzania among 13 countries in the world with a target of reducing the number of TB deaths by 75 per cent by 2025, according to projections by the World Health Organization (WHO).

He attributed the success of fighting TB to the government's efforts to improve tuberculosis-specialised diagnostic equipment and medication.

The theme of this year's campaign is "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver," and the WHO is marking the event with renewed calls for action to end TB, Xinhua news agency reported.

The WHO recommends that governments invest in strengthening their health systems to improve access to TB services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas, promote TB prevention and control measures, including infection control and contact tracing, and prioritise scaling up screening, detection, treatment, psychosocial and nutritional support with a focus on vulnerable populations.

World Tuberculosis Day, observed on March 24 each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease. In 2018, 10 million people fell ill with TB, and 1.5 million died from the disease, mostly in low and middle-income countries.

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