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It has been reported that the TB infection rate in the mining workforce is estimated to be three to four times more than that of the general population. The country commemorated World TB Day on Friday.
Cheka Impilo, a national wellness campaign that focuses on testing and treating people with HIV, TB, sexually transmitted infections and noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, reported that TB remained one of the leading causes of ill health and death globally.
According to the wellness campaign, there were about 1.6 million TB-related deaths reported in 2020, which was an increase from the 1.5 million reported in the previous year.
The campaign also showed that adult men were at higher risk of developing TB compared with women.
However, Dr Chris van Straten, global health adviser: clinical governance as International SOS, said mine workers were particularly susceptible to occupational lung diseases, with an incidence of TB three to four times more than that of the general population.
“While strides have been made in occupational health in the sector overall, it is estimated that, in South Africa alone, TB rates within the mining workforce are estimated at 2 500 to 3 000 cases per 100 000 individuals.” He said:
Van Straten said TB was the second leading infectious disease killer after Covid-19.
“In fact, TB services were among those that were disrupted by the pandemic, and the impact is being felt. Africa alone accounted for 23% of new TB cases globally in 2021. In southern Africa, TB has been recognised as a significant problem within the mining industry. This is from prolonged exposure to silica dust, poor living conditions and high HIV prevalence in mining communities. Mine workers are at a higher risk of contracting the disease,” he said.
He added that it was important to teach mine workers about TB and that it was beneficial to take a risk mitigation and prevention approach by ensuring ongoing monitoring of medical cases and occupational health risks, as well as preventing avoidable issues through preparation and information.
“Medical staffing, workplace prevention programmes and travellers’ digital support are key elements contributing to a comprehensive duty of care framework and mine sustainability.
“Internal outreach and campaigns that focus on information around how TB is spread, what symptoms to look out for as well as what to do for diagnosis and treatment are critical, coupled with assessing and understanding the level of risk exposure as well as a risk mitigation strategy,” he said.
READ: Undiagnosed depression in TB patients threatens control of the disease
Van Straten said it was time for the country to turn its attention to extractive companies and their surrounding communities who were not only especially vulnerable to TB, but who could also play a unique and valuable role in reducing the risks of getting TB and the transmission of it, and in improving the management of potential outbreaks overall.
He said mining companies in South Africa continued to play a vital role in mitigating TB in the workplace and should implement integrated measures.
These include:
- Close collaboration with various stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, occupational health specialists and community organisations to develop comprehensive and sustainable TB control programmes;
- Measures to address TB in the workplace and in surrounding communities, ensuring the disease is not seen separately from employee wellness programmes;
- Implementation of regular TB screening programmes for employees, as the early detection of TB is crucial to prevent the spread of the disease and to ensure that employees receive early and appropriate treatment; and
- Promotion of infection control measures such as providing masks, improving ventilation systems, promoting hygiene and, very importantly, empowering employees through education programmes about the importance of infection control to prevent the spread of TB.
He said there was also the need to address occupational risk factors that contributed to the development of TB, such as exposure to silica dust, by implementing dust control measures and providing employees with appropriate personal protective equipment to reduce exposure to silica dust.
Meanwhile, the latest SA TB Prevalence Survey positioned South Africa as one of the 30 countries with a high TB burden, accounting for 87% of the burden.
“It is one of 10 countries with a triple burden of TB, TB/HIV and MDR-TB. It is also among five countries with a TB incidence of more than 500 people per 100 000 population. The WHO estimated that South Africa had a TB incidence of 304 000 and that there were 6 381 people with drug-resistant TB.”
READ: World TB Day | Call to ramp up TB education in communities
According to Cheka Impilo, this year’s campaign would include a focus on finding missing people with TB, which would be in line with the TB recovery plan.
This would be done through targeted universal TB testing, irrespective of symptoms, for people living with HIV, contacts of people with TB and those who were previously treated for TB.
“There will also be the use of digital chest X-rays in communities, tracing people with TB who are lost [in the system] to follow up and link them back to care. [There is also a plan to] screen contacts of people with TB and link those who are eligible for either TB treatment or TB preventive therapy to health facilities.”
