Low resource countries are at higher risk of TB-HIV deaths

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Photo Credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

It is expected that in high HIV-TB burden countries— like Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Swaziland— an earlier start of anti retroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLHIV) will lead to a reduction in the burden of TB, both new cases and previously treated cases. Despite the fact that TB and HIV/AIDS are now major killers in Zimbabwe and other countries of sub saharan Africa, many people on the continent are unaware of their TB or HIV/AIDS status until they fall sick, further complicating an already deadly situation.

TB-Diabetes: A deadly marriage

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

Lung diseases are one of the most common medical conditions in the world. Millions of people suffer from lung complications that may cause diseases like asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, TB and lung cancer, among others. Smoking, air pollution and life style changes further exacerbate the problems, more so if they result in a deadly combination of communicable and non communicable diseases.

Early TB testing is vital to saving lives

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

According to the WHO Global Tuberculosis report 2014, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases, with an estimated 9.0 million people developing TB and 1.5 million dying from it in 2013. Also, an estimated 480 000 people developed multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant TB (XDR-TB)  in 2013. If all notified TB patients (6.1 million) had been tested for drug resistance in 2013, an estimated 300,000 cases of MDR-TB would have been detected.

TB, the silent killer of women

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe
TB, an airborne infectious disease, is the third leading cause of death in women worldwide. In 2013, there were 3.3 million new cases of TB among women and 510,000 deaths. Surprisingly, regardless of this impact on women, little attention is paid to the disease as a women's health issue.

Lung cancer - the bane of smokers

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent,  Zimbabwe

 Elizabeth (R):lung cancer victim:
 Photo credit: ECCT

Millions of people from all over the world join together in commemorating the annual  World Cancer Day on the 4th of February. Worldwide, over 14.1 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 8 .2 million people succumb to it every year (GLOBCAN 2012). If proper action, such as modifying lifestyles, is taken in time then perhaps 30%-40% of cancers can be prevented and another 30% can be cured if diagnosed early.

Stepping up access to healthcare

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

CNS Image Library/2013

Health has been recognized as central to human development as both a contributor and an outcome and should be accessed by all. Universal health coverage is vital in the process of development. Yet, distribution of resources in society has seen somewhat unbalanced health coverage, culminating in gaps and unequal access to healthcare, thus disrupting economic growth.