Last year TFWA Care supported Lifeline Clinic with a grant to develop the care of TB patients, supply some much-needed equipment and continue to develop a team of community health workers.
The objectives of the TB research are to:
  • Identify the incidence and prevalence of TB in the San community.
  • Research and develop a screening programme built on WHO recommendations and then screen the whole San population for TB
  • Research and develop a treatment programme, which reduces interruption and defaulting from treatment.
A pilot of our TB research has now been completed and our findings are staggering:
  • We have identified a lifetime prevalence of TB of 39% in the San and a current prevalence of 10.5%! It is unheard of in the literature to have a prevalence of over 1.5% especially as the San have very little HIV (<1%).
  • Our TB screening programme for the San in Omaheke has so far screened 6 villages, 41 houses, and 192 people. Of these
    • 13 are now on treatment
    • 43 have needed further investigation
    • 28 are still under investigation. Of these under investigation, 9 are likely to have TB.
With the pilot we have development all methods and forms to enable this challenging activity.
We have now have an established network of San community health workers (CHWs), 38 in total, it makes sense that this network is maintained and the work of the CHWs work is integrated with the other activities of the Lifeline Clinic. Our plan is to enable:
  • CHWs to become the eyes and ears of the clinic doctor in remote locations
  • Clinic doctors to better support the care CHWs can offer unwell patient
  • CHWs and clinic doctors working together to reduce the burden of disease caused by TB among the San e.g. CHWs can actively ensure TB treatments are taken for the required duration, can facilitate follow up of TB patients and re-supply of medication.
After submission of our annual report to TFWA with a plan for 2015 John Rimmer from TFWA Care said “We are all delighted to be able to support you again this year.”
Prof Ian Purves and Dr Sharon Smart the doctors at Lifeline Clinic commented “Our early research in screening 6 villages has shown 10% of San have TB at the moment – we just need to find them and support the care in the community – it is fantastic that TFWA have continued their support”