THREE-DAYS WORKSHOP FOR TB RESEARCH WORKS

BAGAMOYO

“THE HOPE TO CONTROL TB”

THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD (CAB) ACTS AS A BRIDGE

TO COORDINATE RESEARCH PROCESS OF NEW TRIAL DRUGS

A marathon three-days of intensive workshop was conducted for almost fifty members of the Community Advisory Board (CAB) which will act as a bridge for the new trial drugs of Tuberculosis in Bagamoyo District. The entire exercise is being held under the umbrella of internationally recognized body, TB Alliance at the Bagamoyo branch of Ifakara Health Institute.

The three-days seminar has almost completed the 110 pages guidelines for the new TB drug research now in the pipeline in Bagamoyo District. The fifty members of CAB are drawn from towns, villages and hamlets in the vast study area of almost 1160 km2. 

Several such seminars were conducted to equip members with the knowledge of TB research exercise of the new drugs. The new drugs which has passed the required stages of trials will now undergo further trials and as expected will be more effective and of less duration than the previous drugs. The convention drugs took almost nine to  twelve months and in some cases the disease relapsed.

TB is curable but the facts revealed by World Health Organization that every twenty seconds a TB patient dies in this world and every year almost 1.8 million people die due to this dreadful disease is alarming. The TB Alliance along with other responsible authorities in the Government of  Tanzania are determined to control the disease and hence new trial drugs.

The workshops are being conducted by community engagement coordinator Dr. Omar Juma, CAB Chairman Sayed Abdul Hai and Secretary Mick Dhamir at the Bagamoyo branch of Ifakara Health Institute (IHI). The 110 pages Toolkit for the drug research became more effective after several chapters were translated from English to Kiswahili, the National Language of the country, under TB Alliance sponsorship.

In order to keep a better control of the administration of CAB, the vast study area has been divided into five zones whereby each zone will comprise of 5 to 6 villages. The zones will be led by a Zonal Chairman and an assistant and their basic responsibilities will be to simplify the administrative works of the CAB Secretariat.

Story and Pictures by Abdul Hai

Coordinator for CAB, Dr. Omar Juma explaining the step-by-step guidelines of the 110 pages toolkit of TB Drug Research at the Bagamoyo branch of Ifakara Health Institute.

Nearly fifty delegates of Community Advisory Board from various towns, villages and hamlets in the vast district of Bagamoyo attended the three-days workshop about research process of the new TB drugs to go into trial.

After three days of hard work, CAB members pose for a historical picture just outside the IHI Office, facing the Indian Ocean. Seated in the centre chair is CAB Chairman Sayed Abdul Hai, second right seated is Coordinator Dr. Omar Juma and standing left in blue shirt Secretary of CAB Mick Dhamir.

Members concentrating at the three-days workshop for CAB.