USAID expands efforts to provide clean water and sanitation services in Mozambique
Mozambique’s Health Minister Nazira Abdula says more than 63,000 cases of tuberculosis were diagnosed, a figure which represents an increase over last year, when 53,000 cases were detected, APA can report on Monday.According to the official, this number, about 90 percent were treated successfully.
Abdula made the announcement on Monday at the opening of the National Meeting and Planning of the National Tuberculosis Control Program.
Nazira Abdula also said that the health sector is making progress in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
The two-day meeting takes place under the theme “United to End Tuberculosis in Mozambique”.
Nazira Abdula told the meeting that Mozambique has made significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB), although it continues to register high rates of transmission of the disease with around 154,000 new infections per year.
“2016 was a year of great impact in the fight against TB in the country, characterized by an increase of about 18 percent in the notification of diagnosed cases, which resulted in the growth of the reporting rate from 239 to 278 per 100 thousand cases”, Abdula said.
The minister explained that the gains made are the result of a combination of efforts, including the training of more “coughing officers”, who help identify signs and symptoms of the disease in waiting rooms of the health units, as well as coordination with the various community actors, including practitioners of traditional medicine.
In 2016 the World Health Organization estimated that 1.8 million people died globally due to TB, with Mozambique among the top six countries that together account for 60 percent of deaths.
An estimated 480,000 people developed multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) that year, according to the WHO.
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