World Tuberculosis (TB) Day will this year be observed in Tsumkwe in the Otjozondjupa Region, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has announced.

The number of reported tuberculosis cases in Namibia has steadily declined from a high of 16 156 in 2004 to 8 100 in 2020, the health ministry highlighted in a press release on Thursday.

Despite this decline, however, the country remains among the top 30 high tuberculosis burden countries in the world. According to the Global TB Report 2020, an estimated 2 700 people died from TB in Namibia in 2019.

The MoHSS in collaboration with development partners and civil society organisations will observe World TB Day under the theme ‘Yes! We Can End TB. Save Lives’ on 27 April 2023, with Health Minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula expected to deliver the keynote address.

This year’s World Tuberculosis Day aims to disseminate information about TB in order to encourage the media to spread awareness about the disease and to make people aware of their role in ending TB by 2035, according to the ministry.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency