Opinion: WHO numbers underscore urgent need for stronger leadership and ambitious TB recovery plan

By Zameer Brey, Marcus Low, Yogan Pillay and Ingrid Schoeman, October 20, 2021

Posted in: COVID-19, Edition 12: SA’s AIDS & TB response, Edition 14: Tuberculosis, Edition 7: TB, Latest, TB, TB Response

According to new estimates from the World Health Organization around 61 000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2020, an increase of around 5% over 2019. That works out to over 1 100 TB deaths in the country every week. We urgently need a transparent TB recovery plan and we need both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Joe Phaahla to invest real political capital in the implementation of the plan, the authors argue.

Opinion: WHO numbers underscore urgent need for stronger leadership and ambitious TB recovery plan

In-depth: Landmark moment as AI beats humans in reading X-rays for TB

By Tiyese Jeranji and Marcus Low, October 14, 2021

Posted in: Latest, TB, TB Response

“The results are in: artificial intelligence (AI) outperforms humans at reading chest X-rays for signs of tuberculosis,” proclaimed a recent newsletter of the Stop TB Partnership. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to a variety of experts about the landmark study behind this proclamation and asked what AI-aided X-ray interpretation may mean for countries like South Africa with high TB burdens.

Tags: chest x-rays computer-aided detection systems Department of Health Division of Pulmonology featured HIV lung health National TB Prevalence Survey SAHPRA South African Health Products Authority South African Medical Research Council sputum-based testing TB TB bacterial load TB diagnosis TB response TB screening TB testing tuberculosis

In-depth: Landmark moment as AI beats humans in reading X-rays for TB

Opinion: Could community health workers be the answer to reducing Tuberculosis stigma?

By Wieda Human, Ruvandhi Nathavitharana, Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen, Michelle Galloway, Ingrid Schoeman, Portia Muedi, and Peter Ngo’la, July 9, 2021

Posted in: Latest, TB, TB Response

Tuberculosis stigma thrives when TB is spoken about in hushed whispers, or behind closed doors. The truth is anyone who breathes can get TB as it is an airborne disease like COVID-19. We can all reduce the harmful effect of TB stigma in our communities by taking part in activities that break down false and unfair attitudes towards people with TB. Community health workers are leading the way and deserve more support, write authors from TB Proof.

Tags: Community Health Care Workers COVID-19 Department of Health featured infectious diseases National TB Prevalence Survey stigmatising behaviours stigmatising language TB TB patients TB Proof TB recovery plan TB stigma

Opinion: Could community health workers be the answer to reducing Tuberculosis stigma?

XACT III: A trial asking how to take TB tests to the people

By Tiyese Jeranji, April 29, 2021

Posted in: Latest, TB

Roughly two in five people newly ill with TB worldwide are never diagnosed. In South Africa, this amounts to about 120 000 to 160 000 people per year. A large new study called XACT III is testing ways in which more people can be diagnosed and started on TB treatment more quickly. Tiyese Jeranji reports.

Tags: active TB Case-finding COVID-19 digital chest X-rays featured GeneXpert HIV infection control infectious diseases Keertan Dheda Mobile X-ray units National TB Prevalence Survey Pulmonology Targeted universal testing TB TB prevalence TB testing tuberculosis Wellcome Trust X-rays XACT III Xpert Active Case-finding Trial

XACT III: A trial asking how to take TB tests to the people

SA piloting mobile X-rays to improve TB detection

By Tiyese Jeranji, April 7, 2021

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 14: Tuberculosis, Edition 7: TB, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Latest, Provinces, TB, TB Response, Western Cape

South Africa’s first National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey found that many people without TB symptoms nevertheless have TB disease that can be detected using chest X-rays. Accordingly, new mobile X-ray screening programmes are being piloted in a number of provinces. Tiyese Jeranji reports.

Tags: chest x-rays Department of Health digital chest X-rays featured GeneXpert Isibani Development Partners Mobile X-ray units National Mobile X-ray project National TB Prevalence Survey Nomafrench Mbombo Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu radiographers SAMRC sputum collection TB TB HIV Care TB testing tuberculosis World TB Day X-rays

SA piloting mobile X-rays to improve TB detection

Opinion: World TB Day – let’s seize this moment to change the status quo

By Dr Kavindhran Velen and Professor Salome Charalambous, March 24, 2021

Posted in: Latest, TB

Like with SARS-CoV2, we need to rapidly implement and scale-up effective tuberculosis (TB) prevention interventions, while remaining adaptive to prevailing needs across the country. If we choose to pursue this more deliberate approach to TB prevention in South Africa, World TB Day will no longer be an admission of insufficient progress, but a celebration of defeating our long-standing battle with this curable disease, writes Dr Kavindhran Velen and Professor Salome Charalambous.

Tags: 3HP Aurum Institute featured GeneXpert National TB Prevalence Survey SA TB Think Tank SARS-CoV-2 TB TB control efforts TB policy TB prevalence TB prevention World TB Day

Opinion: World TB Day – let’s seize this moment to change the status quo

New TB testing strategy ups diagnosis in clinics by 17%

By Tiyese Jeranji, March 23, 2021

Posted in: Latest, TB

Around 360 000 to 390 000 people in South Africa fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) every year. Of these, around 120 000 to 150 000 are never diagnosed. Now a new TB testing strategy has been shown to improve TB detection at clinics by 17%. Tiyese Jeranji reports.

Tags: Department of Health featured HIV National TB Prevalence Survey SAMRC TB TB prevalence TB symptoms TB testing TUTT TUTT clinics TUTT strategy universal testing

New TB testing strategy ups diagnosis in clinics by 17%

Tens of thousands of people with TB in SA not diagnosed, survey

By Amy Green, February 5, 2021

Posted in: Latest, TB

Over 150 000 people who had TB in South Africa in 2018 were not diagnosed, according to findings from South Africa’s long-awaited National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey. One reason for this is that an unexpectedly high number of people do not show the typical TB symptoms and are never x-rayed. Amy Green reports.

Tags: chest x-rays COVID-19 Department of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize featured HIV infection control infectious diseases Mobile X-ray units National TB Prevalence Survey Public Health TB TB infection TB prevalence TB Proof TB response TB screening TB symptoms WHO World Health Organization X-rays

Tens of thousands of people with TB in SA not diagnosed, survey

Sub-clinical TB: Fascinating SA research helps push frontiers of TB science

By Amy Green and Marcus Low, December 11, 2020

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Latest, TB

While likely millions of people in South Africa have latent tuberculosis (TB) infection, only between three and 10% of these people ever fall ill with TB. Cutting-edge research conducted in South Africa has now taken us a significant step closer to a test that can predict who will and who will not fall ill with TB. Such a test, if simple and affordable, could potentially revolutionise TB prevention efforts.

Tags: 3HP biomarkers CORTIS study featured infectious diseases latent TB National TB Prevalence Survey SATVI South African Department of Health South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative sub-clinical TB TB TB infection TB prevalence TB preventive therapy TB tests TB Treatment WHO

Sub-clinical TB: Fascinating SA research helps push frontiers of TB science

X-rays and AI could transform TB detection in SA, but red tape might delay things

By Catherine Tomlinson, December 11, 2020

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 14: Tuberculosis, Edition 7: TB, Latest, TB

New World Health Organization guidance released this week endorses the wider use of chest X-rays and artificial intelligence for tuberculosis detection. Before these technologies can be fully utilised in South Africa, some regulatory and other issues will first have to be sorted out. Catherine Tomlinson reports.

Tags: 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health chest X-ray screening chest x-rays COVID-19 featured Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics healthcare workers HPCSA lung health Mobile X-ray units National TB Prevalence Survey radiograpy Radiological Society of South Africa SANC South African health department South African Nursing Council TB TB prevalence TB Proof TB Treatment tuberculosis X-ray machines X-rays

X-rays and AI could transform TB detection in SA, but red tape might delay things

TB in children: Exciting treatment advances, but better tests badly needed

By Tiyese Jeranji, December 3, 2020

Posted in: Child health, Edition 12: SA’s AIDS & TB response, Edition 14: Tuberculosis, Edition 7: TB, Latest, TB, TB Response

Children shoulder approximately 12% of the global TB burden, and this proportion is likely higher in high TB burden countries. In South Africa, up to 30 000 children develop TB each year. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to TB expert, Dr Megan Palmer from Brooklyn Chest Hospital about treatment challenges and how to improve TB detection and treatment outcomes in children.

Tags: 3HP 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health acute respiratory distress Brooklyn Chest Hospital chest x-rays Department of Health Desmond Tutu TB centre Dr Megan Palmer DR TB DRUG-RESISTANT TB featured GeneXpert lung health National TB Prevalence Survey paediatric TB respiratory diseases sputum collection TB TB diagnosis TB Research TB Treatment TB treatment trials World Health Organization Global TB Report

TB in children: Exciting treatment advances, but better tests badly needed

What is behind SA’s higher TB numbers?

By Amy Green, October 21, 2020

Posted in: Latest, TB, TB Response

A World Health Organization report published last week showed more people are falling ill with tuberculosis in South Africa than previously thought – but also that the country’s treatment success rate for dangerous drug-resistant forms of the disease have improved. Amy Green asks what’s behind these numbers.

Tags: bedaquiline COVID-19 COVID-19 deaths COVID-19 infections DRUG-RESISTANT TB featured MDR-TB National Department of Health National TB Prevalence Survey Stigma TB TB incidence TB Proof TB response tuberculosis WHO World TB Report 2020 World Health Organization XDR-TB

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