The Union Zimbabwe Office in Harare coordinates the USAID-funded 5-year TB CARE I programme. In late 2011, The Union moved to new and more spacious premises in anticipation of more staff to manage the PEPFAR funded TB-HIV activities.

 

Key outcomes: The TB case notification rate increased from a baseline of 340/100,000 to 430/100,000 population in 2011, and the cure rate improved from a baseline of 63% in 2008 to 68% in 2010. Thirty patients were started on MDR TB treatment. The proportion of HIV-positive TB patients started on ART increased from 28% in 2009 to 38% in the first three quarters of the project; two sets of guidelines - MDR Guidelines and Data Collection, Analysis and Use Guidelines - were revised; in the area of operations research, all 11 provinces (8 rural and 3 urban) commenced preparations for operations research.

 

The year 2 TB CARE plan provides for, among other activities, strengthening basic DOTS, child TB, TB-HIV, MDR TB, surveillance and operations research. In addition through a PEPFAR-funded plan, there is provision for integrated care of TB and HIV co-infected patients in 13 urban health centres. This is a scale up of the IHC 2 pilot project implemented by the Union at 3 sites, with European Commission funding.