Fighting TB with the San

D'KAR – The San of the Kalahari, known as one of the last nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes on earth who speak a variety of Khosian click languages, have never been an easy group to target with health messages. High mobility, illiteracy and language barriers have made communication difficult between the San and their usually Setswana-speaking health care providers. Messages about TB or HIV/AIDS usually miss the mark completely.

But the D'Kar-based Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO) has taken up the task with a renewed sense of urgency. Working in some of the most remote areas of Botswana, KFO has established a Community TB Care Program to assist the government’s efforts to control TB among the San... Continued »

 

Drug Resistant Tuberculosis on the Rise

GABORONE – Drug resistant tuberculosis is on the rise worldwide and countries like Botswana with high rates of HIV/TB co-infection should be especially vigilant in confronting the problem, a new report shows. Drug-resistant TB accounts for nearly one in every 20 new cases of TB diagnosed worldwide, and extensively drug-resistant TB (or XDR TB) has been recorded in 45 countries, according to a report from the World Health Organization released earlier this year. Because so few African countries conduct drug resistance surveys, the extent of the problem is not well known on the continent. But it is likely there is drug resistance going unnoticed and undetected in these countries, says WHO TB expert Abigail Wright...Continued »»

 

Journalists Benefit from Media Strengthening Outreach

GABORONE – In a country where HIV/AIDS has dominated headlines for more than two decades, news reporters writing these stories are starting to suffer from a different kind of disease: issue fatigue.

The daily task of finding new angles to cover the same story can be draining, and without a deep understanding of the latest developments in research, prevention and treatment, it can be frustrating work.

Realizing the important role journalists play in keeping a nation informed, international partners are reaching out to media houses with an aim to strengthen reporters’ knowledge and skills and improve quality and consistency of reporting on HIV/AIDS issues in Botswana... Continued »»