PRESS RELEASE
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U.S. Government Celebrates Partnership with Mozambique to Control TB
March 24, 2022 – On World Tuberculosis Day, the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique reaffirms its more than two decades of commitment to helping Mozambique eliminate tuberculosis (TB) as a public health problem. TB is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of death for people living with HIV in Mozambique. While the disease is still prevalent, Mozambique is poised to reach the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of testing and treating 90 percent of all estimated TB cases annually. This year, the U.S. Government will invest $13.4 million to support continued TB control efforts.
Charge d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Mozambique, Abigail Dressel said, “The partnership between Mozambique and the United States to fight TB is saving Mozambican lives. By finding, testing, and treating people with TB and strengthening the healthcare system overall, together, we can successfully eliminate TB in Mozambique.”
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support the Ministry of Health’s National Tuberculosis Control Program (PNCT) and the National Institute of Health (INS) network of TB reference laboratories. The U.S. Government funds training for community health workers and volunteers, improvements to the transport of specimens and test results, and the creation of public health messaging campaigns to increase awareness about TB symptoms, ultimately leading to quicker diagnosis and treatment. U.S. government programs also strengthen the country’s TB laboratory network and diagnostic capacity, ensuring that people get the testing and treatment they need.
Mozambique’s efforts to improve TB prevention and treatment have yielded impressive results, with 90 percent of new and relapsed TB cases and 88 percent of patients with TB/HIV co-infection successfully treated. With U.S. Government support for TB, more Mozambicans are surviving this life-threatening disease.
While some countries saw significant drops in the number of TB cases identified during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mozambique maintained its pre-COVID performance. Additionally, Mozambique’s patient-friendly decision to provide TB treatment in patients’ homes was a success, with no drop in treatment completion rates during the pandemic. Mozambique also issued national guidelines for integrated TB and COVID-19 screening given the similarities of symptoms of both diseases.
TB assistance represents a critical component of the broader U.S. Government assistance to Mozambique. In close collaboration with the Government of Mozambique, the U.S. Government provides more than $500 million in annual assistance to help Mozambicans build a healthier, more democratic, more secure, more prosperous county for all.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises. For more information about USAID work to foster sustainable development and advance human dignity visit www.usaid.gov.
Since 2001, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has worked closely with the Government of Mozambique, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral partners to address some of Mozambique’s most significant public health challenges, including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and COVID-19. For more information about CDC´s global health work visit www.cdc.gov.
For more information about this press release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Maputo Press Office at MaputoPress@state.gov.
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