4,000 deaths, 59,000 new TB cases recorded in Zambia annually

Zambia records at least 4,000 TB deaths and 59,000 new infections every year, the ministry of health has revealed.

Ministry of health permanent secretary in-charge of technical services Professor Lackson Kasonka says Tuberculosis remains one of the top ten causes of death in Zambia and globally.

Officiating at the TB symposium and dissemination of drug-resistance TB survey results in Lusaka today, Professor Kasonka says TB incidence in Zambia currently stands at 319 per 100,000 population.

He however, states that despite the high disease burden in the last two decades, Zambia has made tremendous progress in reducing the TB incidence rate from 761 in 2000 to 319 per 100,000 in 2020,representing a 58 percent reduction,while TB mortality rate reduced by 64 percent during the same period.

Professor Kasonka is confident that the symposium held ahead of the World TB day commemoration under the theme: “to end TB,save lives” will adopt multisectoral approaches towards strategies for elimination of TB by 2030.

And Zambia National TB and Leprosy program Manager Dr. Patrick Lungu has reaffirmed the commitment to achieving the 2030 target of eliminating TB.