Batswana men view TB as �witchcraft�

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Tuesday February 17, 2015 17:17

 

This was said by the TB coordinator at the Ministry of Health, Doctor Makabe last week during a seminar in Francistown to address stakeholders on the upcoming World TB Day to be commemorated on March 24. In fact, he stressed, most citizens take the deadly TB lightly.

“Some men diagnosed with TB do not seek medical help as they would rather blame witchcraft for their illness. This is a concern because TB is a curable disease and can best be dealt with at its infancy,” said Makabe.

Though he did not give figures, Makabe said the number of men who shun treatment is sizeable.

Currently over 6,000 new cases of TB are registered every year in Botswana.

He further stated that men who subscribe to the notion are making the fight against the deadly TB complicated.  “At times they come late when the disease has reached a critical stage which to some extent makes curing them costly and complex,” lamented Makabe.

In another revelation, the coordinator said that most people contract TB because they take some factors regarding the disease very lightly.

“Many people get infected due to minor things they do not take into consideration.

For instance, poor ventilation and crowded places are major areas that can expose one to TB hence the need for people who visit those areas to be careful.”

He urged the public to gather more information on how the disease is spread in order to avoid it.