The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka Senior Reporter
CYCLONE Dineo struck Tsholotsho in February this year, and left a trail of untold destruction. Over 800 villagers were left homeless.
Nothing could be worse than losing a home. He who feels it, knows it, the Jamaican maxim aptly has it.
For 34-year-old *Mr Danisa Sibanda tragedy struck twice and his burden was of double proportions.
His home in Tsholotsho’s Mahlozi village razed, his young family rendered homeless and he haplessly lay on the sick bed.
Mr Sibanda had just tested positive for HIV and tuberculosis at Jimila Clinic and poor health was taking toll on his body.
According to the Global TB Report of 2016, Zimbabwe has a high rate of HIV and TB co-infection estimated at 70 percent.
After testing positive of HIV and TB, Mr Sibanda was required to visit Jimila Clinic every fortnight for review and to collect his TB medicine.
This would not burden his weary body alone but his pocket too, as he had to fork out $3 for each trip to Jimila Clinic.
If saving money was a choice, it’s not one Mr Mpofu could have made as that would have meant him trudging flatland and valley for 15km from his house to Jimila Clinic.
In one month he would have walked 60km. His weary body would not have allowed.
“I went to the clinic twice. I found it expensive because each time I went I used $3, which money I could have used for my family,” reasoned Mr Sibanda.
As if his ill health was not enough trouble for a soul, Cylcone Dineo pounced.
Mr Sibanda and his family came to Sipepa Transit Camp, at Sipepa Rural Hospital, with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
His HIV and TB medicine had also been swept away by the floods.
Mr Sibanda and his family involuntarily became part of the 200 other families sheltered at the Transit Camp, sharing just over 60 tents.
The world seemed to have tumbled on him and his fate appeared sealed.
“I thought life had ended. I was sick, homeless and further away from where I was being treated.
“My mind wandered and strayed. I couldn’t think straight. It was really tough for me,” he said.
For someone who was on TB and HIV treatment, nutrition was paramount and could Sipepa Transit Camp guarantee him such? Mr Sibanda wondered.
Sipepa Transit Camp, however, proved to be the silver lining on the dark cloud that was hovering above Mr Sibanda’s head.
It lessened the burden of his treatment.
Not to suggest that his misfortune at the hands of the cyclone would be justified by what was later to happen, but Mr Sibanda has some sense of gratefulness to how his circumstances eventually turned out.
“When I got here I was asked if I was taking any medicines for any chronic ailment. I disclosed the medicines that I was taking and authorities here also verified with Jimila Clinic,” he said.
Immediately Mr Sibanda and others who were on chronic medicines started receiving their respective treatment. For Mr Sibanda this meant he no longer needed to travel the long distances to Jimila Clinic after every two weeks for review and collect medicines.
Sipepa Hospital was right on his “door step” or rather it was him who was now living at the health facility’s door step.
“It lessened the burden of traveling. I somehow feel that my coming to the camp helped me a lot,” he said.
Sister-in-charge of Sipepa Hospital, Merjury Maphosa said the health centre had dealt with three cases of TB and HIV co-infection at the camp.
She said the clinic’s robust TB screening programme enabled them to efficiently deal with the reported cases and curb the disease from spreading.
“We received three cases of TB and all of them were co-infections with HIV.
“One case was from South Africa and we presumed that it was Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB). We referred that case to Tsholotsho District Hospital,” she said.
Sister Maphosa acknowledged that the nature of the camp made it easy for infectious diseases to be spread, but was quick to highlight how the health facility matched the challenge.
“The set up at the camp required us to screen everyone for TB which we did. We also offered voluntary HIV testing and counselling,” she said.
Matabeleland North provincial medical director Dr Nyasha Masuka said the Government had adequate measures in place to effectively deal with emergency situations and avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases such as TB.
He said in cases where people are displaced by natural disasters, the Government considers a health facility as a temporary camp facility where temporary shelter with enough ventilation will be provided.
“The first thing we do is consider a health facility, or just outside the health as a temporary camp site. Temporary structures are provided with adequate ventilation, that is the window area to be 10 percent the floor area and 50 percent of this to be capable of being opened,” he said.
Dr Masuka said after setting up of the camp, health care workers will be required to conduct TB screening.
“The health facility will be provided with TB screening tools, presumptive TB registers and health facility registers.
“Occupants will be required to spend most of the period, especially during day time outside the shelter,” he said.
Dr Masuka also explained how Sipepa Hospital, one of the two hospitals in Tsholotsho District that has a TB House, handled TB cases that were recorded at the transit camp.
“The district supplied surgical masks which were used by the TB patients so as to prevent TB transmission to those nearby.
“Six environmental health technicians were deployed to the hospital to monitor infection and hygiene practices throughout the camp as well as being the surveillance team in case of any outbreak.
“The technicians regularly visited every tent and administered the TB screening tool to everyone in the camp. Those found to be symptomatic were referred to the Outpatient Department (OPD) for sputum collection,” he said.
Dr Masuku added that Sipepa, as a microscopy centre was also able to offer TB testing to those individuals who submitted sputum while sputum which needed to be examined by GeneXpert was promptly sent to the district hospital.
“A team of health workers from Tsholotsho District Hospital were regularly deployed to Sipepa to assist the staff at the centre with any disease screening and treatment,” he added.
The flood victims have since been relocated to Tshino and Sawudweni area in Tsholotsho where Government pegged stands for them. Houses and other amenities such as toilets, a school and a clinic will be constructed for the villagers.
For Mr Sibanda, the relocation allows him and his young family a chance to open a new chapter in their lives.
@irielyan
Danisa Sibanda, not real name
