24.03.2025-WORLD TB DAY 2025: STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACHES TO END TUBERCULOSIS IN BOTSWANA

As the world commemorates World TB Day, BONELA, in collaboration with its implementing partners and district health stakeholders, reaffirms its commitment to ending tuberculosis (TB) in Botswana through robust community-driven interventions.

Progress and Achievements
Over the past year, BONELA and its partners have implemented targeted outreach programs, providing TB education, screening, and treatment linkage to vulnerable communities, including People Living with HIV (PLHIV), sex workers, LGBTIQ+ persons, undocumented foreigners, and people with disabilities.

Key achievements include:

     

      • 30,704 individuals screened for TB, with 2,520 identified as presumptive cases.

      • 87 confirmed TB cases enrolled on treatment.

      • 15,095 individuals sensitized on TB infection control through health talks in schools, farms, and door-to-door campaigns.

      • Collaboration with the Ministry of Health in hosting the National TB Commemoration Day in Ghanzi, engaging key stakeholders in discussions on TB awareness and prevention.

    Challenges and Call for Action
    Despite notable progress, critical gaps in TB service delivery persist, including:

       

        • Understaffing in key diagnostic facilities, such as Tutume laboratory, which operates with only two technicians for over 25 health facilities.

        • GeneXpert equipment maintenance backlog, with some machines last serviced in 2018, leading to reduced testing capacity.

        • Limited Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT) services, hindering early intervention.

        • Challenges in contact tracing due to Botswana’s nomadic populations and transport shortages in remote areas.

      To address these barriers, BONELA urges the government, donors, and partners to:

         

          • Increase investment in laboratory capacity, ensuring adequate staffing and timely GeneXpert machine maintenance.

          • Expand community-based TB care models, integrating TPT into all supported facilities.

          • Enhance supply chain management to ensure an uninterrupted flow of essential diagnostic tools and medications.

          • Strengthen advocacy and public awareness, emphasizing TB prevention and treatment adherence.

        BONELA remains dedicated to strengthening community health systems, prioritizing early detection, treatment adherence, and human rights-based approaches in TB care. We stand in solidarity with global partners in the fight against TB and urge all stakeholders, from policymakers to grassroots health workers, to unite in eliminating this preventable and curable disease.

         

        #EndTBNow #WorldTBDay2025 #TBFreeBotswana

        For more information, contact BONELA on:
        Cindy Kelemi at cindyk@bonela.org or 72385054
        Katlego Sechele at ksechele@bonela.org or 72282025