11 April 2008

By Nangamso Mabindla

IN an effort to improve skills and knowledge about debilitating diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/Aids in Buffalo City communities, the municipality's health promotion section has embarked on an extensive health awareness drive.

Health first officials have already undertaken door-to-door campaigns to teach people about TB. The campaigns, which started at the beginning of March, were also used to mark World TB Day, held on Sunday, 24 March.

The head of the health promotion section, Boniswa Mzimba, said TB awareness was very important for the municipality, especially given the constant low cure rates within the Amathole District, particularly Buffalo City.

"It has become important for the section to prioritise awareness about TB and assist in strengthening the directly observed treatment and support [dots] programme, especially in the light of constantly low cure rates within the district and … in the wake of the two monsters - multi-drug resistant and extreme drug resistant TB," she said.

"The team's approach, between health promotion and nursing in managing this disease, is already starting to bear fruit."

She said people were very enthusiastic about the awareness campaign and all events were well-attended. This enthusiasm was particularly noticeable during the question-and-answer sessions. Mzimba said that communities also influenced the direction of the campaign by stating what their needs were.

"Health promotion emphasises inter-sectoral collaboration in the management of diseases, as its aim is to bridge the gap between health services and communities," she said.

To promote collaboration, the City invited different partners to the health events. These included Masimanyane Women's Support Centre, the Family and Marriage Association of South Africa (Famsa), the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca), the Department of Home Affairs, the provincial social development department and High Transmission Areas (HTA) East London.

"HTA creates awareness about these diseases through music and staging plays about HIV and TB and sexually transmitted infections."

The awareness campaigns will continue, as directed by the national health awareness calendar and the health needs of communities in Buffalo City.

Source: Buffalocity.gov.za