According to the Head of TB Programmes in the Free State, Noor Mahomed Zakhura, the campaign is particularly aimed at educating children between the ages of five and eleven about preventive measures of the disease. 

Zakura says TB still remains the number one killer in the country because South Africa is a country with an HIV/Aids pandemic. He says the TB School Campaign is in support of the current school health care service package aimed at all schools across the province. 

Zakura mentions that the Kick TB Campaigns have been implemented in other parts of Africa and Asia and recently embarked on raising awareness and educating school pupils about the scourge of the disease.

"Besides being HIV positive, the chances of being infected with TB is increasingly higher for persons whose immune system is weak. Since we are also in a country with a TB pandemic, the chances of being infected with the disease remain high as long as your immune system is affected." Zakura explains that this can be due to diabetes or any other disease that affects your immune system.

He urges South Africans to frequently test for TB and look out for TB related symptoms such as coughing for a period of more than two weeks, weight loss of more than five kilos, and night sweats. Zakura advises people who are diagnosed with TB to complete the six-month treatment plan.

OFM News/Katleho Morapela