The Programme’s deputy programme manager, Isaias Dambe, told Zodiak Online that that "from January to June in 2018 for example, out of over 7, 000 TB cases that were registered, 88 percent were treated and cured.

"Door to door screening and community involvement is helping a lot in the fight against tuberculosis in the country," said Dambe.

According to Dambe, on the part of children suffering from TB, out of 1, 400 cases registered, 570 cases were for under five and 800 cases for children above the age of five and 90 percent of these were cured.

"We will soon introduce new treatment for Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis as patients will be required to take medicine for nine months only from 24 months," said Dambe.

Dambe said that in the past, children were taking TB drugs that were bitter and hard to break but the drugs have been modified now and accessible to children.

Mr. Dambe, however, expressed worry over lack of funds for implementation of TB programmes, saying out of K1.7 billion required in the fight against the disease, only K500 million is allocated.

Some of TB patients who recovered from the disease Mr. Charles Chikope and Teresa Mataya told Zodiak Online that the drugs being provided in hospitals are powerful and helped them to get cured from the disease.