Cape Town - The Gift of the Givers has commemorated World Tuberculosis (TB) Day by providing food hampers to patients infected with TB.
World TB Day, which is observed every March 24, is to raise public awareness of the global epidemic of TB.
In the past two years, the TB epidemic, which claims over 1.5 million lives yearly, has been overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Gift of the Givers says with the Covid-19 pandemic taking priority at all hospitals, TB patients had to administer their own treatment with great difficulty.
“Aan Het Pad Clinic in Cloetesville will be abuzz with activity tomorrow as 200 TB patients prepare for long-awaited full-on medical care. The clinic management brought the issue of malnutrition to our attention.
Patients are having to take medication on empty stomachs, which negatively affects the efficacy of their medication. TB infection is rife in the community, coupled with a high unemployment rate,” they said.
The organisation says that it will be providing each patient with a food hamper and will provide the local kitchen with support to provide patients with essential daily meals.
They were on site this morning in Cloetesville, providing these services with UCT’s Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity from UCT, TB HIV Care, Free of TB and Antrum Biotech.
IOL