By Prince J Musa in Kenema
One of the Leprosy and Tuberculosis focal people attached to the division in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Fatu Kamara has disclosed that the Kenema District Health Management Team (DHMT) has recorded 5.14% cases of patients with tuberculosis in 2024.
She made this pronouncement during a community engagement on 5th April with chiefs, civil society, town chiefs, women leaders, youths, and traditional authorities in Kenema on how to break the chain of TB transmission in the district.
Kamara noted that the ministry took up the community engagement since multi-drug resistance tuberculosis is on the increase in Kenema district based on statistics they received from Lakka on the disease and which they want to cut down through sensitization.
She stated that traditional healers are essential to tuberculosis mitigation as they are the first responders when someone starts showing signs and symptoms of the disease.
She said tuberculosis is not a virus but rather a bacterium that is air-borne which can be cured when the patient takes their full dosage of the drugs at the right time.
She however stated it is only after the immune system of an uninfected person is weakened before it can transfer.
She reiterated that the bacteria cannot be spread through exchanging spoons and cups or eating together with an infected person. She stated that some of the easiest ways to detect symptoms in TB patients are weight loss, high temperature, persistent perspiration, fever, and lack of appetite, among others.
‘’TB treatment is free of cost but patients have to take the correct doses of the drugs,’’ she said.
Kamara encouraged patients and relatives to eat good food because the drug potency is high and advised family members not to discriminate against TB patients.
She distinguished between TB and HIV which share some signs of similarities but not the same as some can be having TB but not get HIV and called on the stakeholders to support their people and TB units to combat the diseases in the district.
The District Medical Officer (DMO) in Kenema, Dr. Donald Samuel Grant appreciated the TB and leprosy unit for providing educative messages for both the stakeholders and the health workers especially those in the Peripheral Health Units (PHUs), saying the fight against TB is everybody’s fight and believes the traditional leaders should take ownership of it.
He pointed out that health issues should not be left in the hands of only the medical people, especially communicable diseases, and that the Ministry will only succeed in overcoming those challenges when they have full support from the local authorities who have large constituents in their chiefdoms.
Dr. Grant described DHMT as a primary health care provider to stop the spread of tuberculosis in the district. He encouraged the stakeholders to report any signs of a TB person from their communities to the hospital or health facilities closer to them as that will help to save more lives in the community.
On behalf of the Paramount Chief of Nongowa Chiefdom, Chief Abdulai Musa assured of the support of stakeholders in Kenema district to the government regarding the health and safety of the people.
He said the traditional leaders will convene a meeting with their sub-chiefs to pass on the good message to them so that they can work with the health workers to prevent and identify those suffering from TB in their community as only with this they can help to tackle the spread of the disease in their communities.
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