Nutrition Gardens for People Living with TB
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| Organization | Disaster and Environmental Management Trust |
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| Region | Zimbabwe |
| Website | Website |
| ProjectLeader | Romeo Chingezi |
| Linked Problems & Solutions
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Zimbabwe is a high Tuberculosis (TB) burdened country. The treatment for TB require patients to consume enough nutrients in their diets to reduce the risk of side effects such as skin rush and severe headaches. TB patients are among the poorest who cannot afford the nutritional support they need. Treatment side effects caused by lack of nutritional diet have led many patients to default their medication. Hence, increasing the chance for the development of drug resistant TB & onward transmission.
Challenge
Zimbabwe is currently faced with a food insecurity situation, between 40% and 60% of the population are projected to be food insecure by September 2022. TB patients from rural areas are already defaulting their medications citing some adverse symptoms after taking tablets on an empty stomach. This lack of nutritional diets will push more TB patients to default treatment, develop Drug Resistant TB, continue to infect others, and increase TB related deaths in the country.
Long-Term Impact
The project aims at strengthening the immune defenses of people living with TB through increased consumption of nutritious foods to limit progression of the TB disease into drug resistant and facilitate a steady recovery. Food and nutrition security for TB patients will also lower the risk of defaulting medication due to hunger which exacerbates treatment side effects, avert the development of drug resistant TB, reduce the risk of onward infection and ultimately reduce TB related deaths.
References
Project Gallery
Training on TB Case Finding
