Usage of mask as a preventative measure for COVID 19 pandemic has been attributed as one of key contributors to the decline in new tuberculosis cases.
This was revealed by a TB focal Person in the Ngami District Health Management Team, Mareledi Gababonwe, during Botswana Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (BONEPWA) TB Stigma and discrimination workshop for community leaders at Maun Lodge on Wednesday.
The purpose of the workshop was to sensitize community leaders Councilors, Dikgosi, Village Development Committees and support group leaders on TB stigma and discrimination.
According to Gababonwe, in 2017 in Maun only, they have registered 233 TB patients as compared to 152 cases that have been registered so far in 2021.
Gababonwe explained that the decline could be attributed to masks since tuberculosis is an airborne disease that can only be transmitted when one inhales TB bacteria when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.
“We have observed that ever since the COVID 19 pandemic outbreak, our TB cases have dropped. This could be because nowadays everyone is putting on their face masks. Another reason is that when the pandemic hit the country all resources were directed to it hence only a few patients were tested for TB” explained Gababonwe.
Gababonwe further revealed that in Botswana 70% of TB patients are HIV positive hence they have taken it upon themselves to test their patients for HIV and enroll them on Anti-retroviral treatment as well.
In 2020, 171 patients were tested and 52% of them tested positive and have since started taking their ARV treatment.
For her part, TB Coordinator- Ngami DHMT Priscilla Bwalya has highlighted that TB stigma is one of the drivers that contributes to drug resistance and treatment failure among TB patients as patients often default in medication in fear of stigma and discrimination.
According to her, TB patients suffer from internalized self-stigma, anticipated stigma, experience stigma, secondary stigma, community or public stigma and structural stigma. She however said public stigma is the most common.
In 2020, 9 cases of drug resistance TB cases were registered and only 7 have been registered this year. BONEPWA Ngami coordinator Gosalalamang Xaa explained that it was necessary for them to hold this workshop with community leaders to empower them with information to teach their communities on issues of TB and Stigma.
In an interview with Maphane ward Kgosi Onneetse Mokenane he commended BONEPWA for having seen it fit to involve them as community leaders on such issues.
Mokenane further explained that when growing up they were taught to distance themselves from TB patients and were warned against sharing utensils, even a toilet with them but he has now learnt that it is okay to co-exist with a TB patient since the treatment enables them not to transmit the disease until they are cleared of it.