Zambia: The Development Aid From People to People in Zambia (DAPP) has asked the government of Zambia to support the reduction of Tuberculosis. The healthcare stakeholders have been working hard to spread awareness about the disease.

The officials have shared that managing this disease is a significant priority for the government and people of Zambia. The officials have shared that it is important for the healthcare stakeholders to support the community in managing this crisis.

The medical experts have shared that better funding into the development of infrastructure for managing the disease will help in ensuring that lesser lives are lost to this health issue. The disease is preventable with medical intervention and timely treatments.

However, it is also significant to note that several communities within the district do not have access to preventive measures and infrastructure.

As such, the government has been asked to step and support initiatives aimed towards the reduction of Tuberculosis (TB) incidence and mortality in Zambia. The disease affects the lungs of a patient and can cause permanent long term damage in case it goes untreated.

Children form a significant part of the country’s statistic which is a significant cause of concern for the people. DAPP Resource Mobilization Officer Jabez Kanyanda says that every year the country records 59 thousand cases of TB. Out of this number 10 percent cases are recorded among the children.

He made these remarks during the TB reach project conference held in Lusaka

According to Kanyanda since they are recording increments in the number of TB cases, the funding toward ending it should also increase. The conference was also attended by other stakeholders working towards elimination of TB

Speaking at the same event Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) Lecturer Bestone Ngonga has also asked the media to help in spreading awareness about TB within the communities

Ngonga disclosed that citizens in the community living with TB get stigmatized because of lack of knowledge about the disease. Meanwhile Roster Daka, a mother of a baby who survived from TB thanked DAPP and stakeholders for the TB reach project.