The Ministry of Health and Social Services has cited the country’s mining sector to be prone to high tuberculosis (TB) infections due to confined spaces and lack of ventilation.
In response to the high infection rates, the Ministry has now set as a priority to improve health and standards in mines.
“The TB incidence among miners is estimated to be as much as 10 times higher than in the populations from which they originate, making it one group at exceptionally high risk. Hence, prioritisation of TB services in the mining communities is of paramount importance,” said Health Executive Director Ben Nangombe, during a workshop on how to implement TB health and safety standard operation procedures in the mining sector.
In 2022, Nangombe said Namibia with its TB incidence rate of 460 per 100,000 population, was ranked as the ninth highest in relation to the incidence rate of TB in the world, by the World Health Organisation.
TB is an infection caused by the Mycobacteria tuberculosis, which usually affects people who are immune-compromised, of which individuals who are HIV positive, malnourished, diabetic, smoking and indulging in excessive alcohol intake are most at risk.
“Although it has been 30 years since the World Health Organisation declared tuberculosis as a global emergency, the global tuberculosis epidemic still affects many countries across the globe, particularly developing countries. Notwithstanding that tuberculosis is preventable and curable, in 2021 an estimated 10.6 million people, including 1.2 million children, fell ill with tuberculosis, while approximately 1.6 million people died from the disease,” he said.
The workshop aims to develop advocacy plans for the Mine Health and Safety (MHS) standard operating procedures across mining organisations, as well as communicate the key strategies of MHS.
These include risk management, early diagnosis and surveillance of TB, HIV and occupational lung diseases in mining, information, education and communication on TB, HIV and occupational lung diseases in mining, as well as the quality management of TB, HIV and occupational lung diseases programs in mining, among others.
“It is against this backdrop that the Ministry of Health and Social Services, together with the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), is hosting this Workshop to develop country implementation for the Standard Operating Procedures on Mine Health and Safety in the Mining Sector. Therefore, the standard operating procedures are aimed at guiding member states in prioritising the prevention of, effective screening, and treatment of TB in mine workers,” said Nangombe.
Regardless of the strides being made by the Ministry, Nangombe said inadequate national frameworks for coordinating communicable diseases and occupational health and safety issues in general, were some of the challenges in addressing the issues in its entirety.
The absence of a National Inter-ministerial Commission on TB, HIV and Silicosis Control; absence of standardised screening methodologies and tools that cover TB /HIV/Silicosis case finding among miners and ex-miners; in addition to gaps in knowledge of the true burden of TB in Namibia’s mining sector are among other derailing factors.
