The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MR Nqobizitha Nkomo (33) from Insiza District in Matabeleland South Province will complete his nine months of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) treatment in a week’s time, get cleared and certified TB-free but in the midst of that success, he has lost two brothers from the disease.
He also suspects they infected him and his wife. He, however, is grateful that while five of his family members were infected by the disease, his five children were spared and given prophylaxis drugs to prevent infection. Unfortunately, while he was battling with illness and was bedridden his father disappeared from home in mysterious circumstances and was found dead after four months which increased his anxiety and illness.
Mr Nkomo, an artisanal miner from Village 10 Ndawungwe, Nkankezi said he almost lost his life had he not been screened for TB in the nick of time by mobile health workers that visited his village in May last year.
“I started feeling sick in January 2022, I was wasting away without an explanation. I was coughing and then developed chest pains which forced me to visit a doctor in Filabusi and I got treatment to no avail. I stayed at home until health workers visited our area in June of the same year and I was screened and tested positive,” he said.
Mr Nkomo was referred to Filabusi District Hospital and immediately initiated to TB treatment and later transferred to a clinic in Nkankezi which was nearest to his homestead where he has been collecting his medication together with his wife. His wife Ms Angeline Morosi (29) is in the fifth month of treatment. The source of the disease is not really clear to him.
“I could no longer work, I was bedridden and the family was struggling, I could not even carry my youngest child who was a few months old then, that’s how weak I was. The source of this disease could be from two sides. My brothers had TB and some died from the disease, I would visit them and spend the day tending to them at the main homestead where they lived with my father. I could not stop visiting because they were infected,” said Mr Nkomo.
The second possible source of the infection, he said was at the illegal mining sites where he said he was exposed to dust and other chemicals from underground. Artisanal miners are regarded as key populations and drivers of TB and HIV in Zimbabwe.
Typical of TB symptoms, Mr Nkomo experienced night sweat, occasional cold shivers, a cough, and body aches among other things. Mr Nkomo said while his brothers sought treatment they defaulted.
“They did go and start treatment but they defaulted along the way. Also, they had other underlying conditions which worsened their case. Had they continued with the treatment they would still be alive today,” he added.
TB treatment, he said, has changed his life for the better and he has recovered and managed to return to his mining activities and fend for his family.
“I have recovered well because I was in a desperate situation and bedridden. Anti-TB drugs made me feel horrible initially, but I had to soldier on until my body adjusted. It is essential that one take them religiously once diagnosed, now I am almost done with the treatment and I am going to get screened again to ensure I am free from TB,” said Mr Nkomo.
Mr Nqobizitha Nkomo
Mr Nkomo and his wife said the greatest challenge they have faced is access to drugs.
“On some occasions, we have had to miss some doses as the drugs would not be available at the clinic. So, I would end up drinking the few combinations that will be available. We informed the health worker who assists us in this area and he would liaise with the clinics near us. The last time we had to go to Esigodini to collect drugs as they had run out here in Nkankezi. We just hope that there are no side effects of missing some doses,” he said.
Mr Nkomo’s wife said she self-isolated to protect others.
“I stopped going to people’s homes or to places where people congregated as I did not want to inconvenience others because people naturally become uncomfortable when they are in the presence of a person with a contagious disease,” said Ms Morosi.
The couple paid tribute to a health worker who they said visited occasionally to offer support and ensure they were adhering to treatment.
“On one occasion we had run out of drugs and he personally sourced the drugs and sent someone with the drugs to the village all to ensure that we never defaulted. He would also contact the clinic when we had challenges accessing the anti-TB drugs.
“We are grateful for his assistance because we would have given up and probably died,” said Ms Morosi.
Because of their illness, the couple said they failed to cultivate their fields and grow any crops for their subsistence.
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is commemorated annually on 24 March, and this year’s theme, “Yes we can end TB” recognises a shared resolve to harness high-level leadership for increased investment, adoption of innovations, and multi-sectoral collaboration to combat this epidemic.
According to the World Health Organisation, in Zimbabwe, 16 300 TB cases were notified in 2021, from an estimated 30 000 incident cases, translating to a treatment coverage of 54 percent. However, WHO also notes that the country still grapples with close to 14 000 missed cases annually.
In addition, over 80 percent of TB patients experience substantial high out-of-pocket costs and indirect costs such as income loss, when accessing services, an important barrier to life-saving treatment.
Dr Ronald Thulani Ncube, Executive Director, of The Union Zimbabwe Trust, a non-governmental organisation that is a sub-recipient of a Tuberculosis grant from the Global Fund said ending TB is possible.
“Our shared aspiration to end TB is a real possibility if only we harness our collective resolve to do more with less, targeting the finite resources more intelligently, to innovations with potential for greatest impact,” he said. – @NyembeziMu
