Minister of Health Khumbize Chiponda has said Malawi is registering reduction in the number of people suffering from Tuberculosis (TB).
Chiponda said this on Thursday, during the 2022 World TB Day Commemoration being commemorated under the Theme “Invest to End TB; Save Lives.”
This year’s theme according to the Health Minister, conveys the urgent need to invest more resources towards the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.
Speaking during the function, Chiponda said Malawi is doing well in the fight against TB and would meet the target to end TB by 2030 if the trend is maintained.
“For example, the incidence of TB for Malawi has declined from 338 per 100,000 in 2010 to 141 per 100,000 in 2020. This represents a 58% reduction over a 10-year period. If we maintain this trajectory in the next 10 years Malawi should be very close to attaining the End TB target on reducing incidence.”
“For the past 5 years, the Treatment Success Rate for all forms of TB has increased from 82% in 2015 to 90% in 2020. The proportion of TB patients coinfected with HIV has reduced from 77% in 2003 to 44% in 2020. The treatment success rate for Drug Resistant TB has increased from 55% in 2018 to 73% in 2020. I should also mention that Malawi does not have any patient suffering from Extensively Drug Resistant TB which is a type of TB with poor treatment outcomes.” Said Chiponda.
Chiponda has further expressed government’s commitment to make a significant investment towards the TB fight as suggested by the Theme.
On her part, Janet Kayita World Health Organization (WHO) representative has commended government for the strides made and has since called on stakeholders and partners not to relax on the fight.
Kayita has therefore asked the government to make sure enough funding is made available for the TB fight.