Publications
Partners
- The Health Department has raised concerns about the death rate among TB patients.
- In 2021, the World Health Organisation estimated that 56 000 people in South Africa died from TB.
- Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said that 48% of TB patients in 2022 were living with HIV.
The Department of Health has raised concerns about the death rate among tuberculosis (TB) patients.
During the high-level meeting focused on the infectious disease over the weekend, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said 300 000 people are diagnosed with TB annually.
In 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 56 000 people in South Africa died from TB.
"TB remains a pressing concern for South Africa and we are worried about the unacceptable death rate among our TB patients. A major drive of our TB infection is HIV, as 48% of our TB patients were people living with HIV in 2022," Phaahla said.
He said the department had managed to notify and put 224 000 people on treatment.
READ | 56 000 TB deaths in SA in 2021, estimates WHO
"South Africa has been at the forefront of introducing and scaling up new tools for diagnosis and shorter treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB. However, there is a need to do more to improve linkage to care and retention in care," he said.
He said after the negative impact of Covid-19, South Africa developed a TB recovery plan through involvement by all stakeholders, which aims to find "missing" people with TB and link them to care.
Phaahla said the country had moved from a symptom-based approach for TB testing to testing regardless of symptoms among high-risk groups.
He added:
He said recent progress in TB vaccine development offered hope and the country was prepared to implement TB vaccines when they became available.
"We are participating in TB vaccine trials. Addressing the social determinants of TB, poverty, gender inequality and lack of access to education is essential for achieving lasting health outcomes," he said.
