“I had a cough and night sweats for four days. I felt terrible. I immediately thought, ‘this must be tuberculosis’, so I proceeded straight to the chest clinic for evaluation.” These were the thoughts of Lweendo Mweemba, a tuberculosis (TB) treatment supporter who works in the Chilanga urban clinic in Lusaka under the USAID supported Tuberculosis Local Organizations Network (TBLON) project.
As a TB treatment supporter, Lweendo has been trained in case finding, sensitization and counseling, and contact tracing for TB patients. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has caused frontline healthcare workers like Lweendo to feel a sense of fear and anxiety about COVID-19 and the impact it has on critical TB prevention, care, and treatment health services they provide to their communities. To strengthen their response, TB treatment supporters, including Lweendo, received training to screen and test for both COVID-19 and TB. Lweendo stated, “I was excited to be able to participate in the COVID-19/TB screening at the facilities because I believe I have a role in protecting the people.”
Implemented by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) and through Lweendo and other community health workers, TBLON is working with the Zambian government to strengthen laboratory services and enhance facility and community TB case detection and diagnosis. Lweendo is driven by the fact that his work at the health facility in early TB detection and treatment has a significant role in helping reduce morbidity and limiting community spread - edging closer to Zambia’s goal of eliminating TB by 2030, particularly in the face of COVID-19.
Tuberculosis is among the top 10 causes of mortality and, therefore, is considered a major public health problem in Zambia. People with TB and other underlying health conditions are particularly vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 due to its effects on the respiratory system. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, health services were disrupted, including essential TB services, and globally, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed years of progress in tackling the disease. This didn’t stop Lweendo and his colleagues from their important work.
Thanks to the training that Lweendo and his fellow community health workers received through the project, when Lweendo fell ill he realized that his sickness could be symptomatic of something other than TB. “My colleague reminded me of how the symptoms can be similar and that I should still test for COVID-19, not only TB,” said Lweendo.
Lweendo quickly received testing for both TB and COVID-19 at the health facility. His TB results were negative, but he was terrified when he received the result that he was COVID-19 positive because he had seen what COVID-19 had done in his community. After a few weeks of rest, Lweendo made a full recovery from home and was able to return to work three weeks later.
Upon reflection Lweendo stated, “My experience has helped me better appreciate the importance of screening and testing for TB and COVID-19 in my patients. I never realized that this would save my life and the lives of others in the future!”
With his training and personal experience Lweendo has been able to help others who have TB get screened for COVID-19, ensuring they receive essential support and care to better manage their health.
USAID TBLON Project
