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

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

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

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

Posted in: Latest, TB, TB

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.

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

Opinion: Engage communities and leverage COVID-19 innovations to address SA’s TB crisis

Posted in: COVID-19, Latest, TB

It is time to engage communities through community healthcare workers and to leverage COVID-19 innovations to advance the urgent need for high-quality, person-centred tuberculosis (TB) care for all, argue authors from leading TB advocacy organisation TB Proof.

Opinion: Engage communities and leverage COVID-19 innovations to address SA’s TB crisis

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

In-depth: Getting Gauteng’s HIV and TB response back on track

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 12: SA’s AIDS & TB response, Edition 7: TB, Edition 9: State of HIV, Gauteng, Latest, Provinces, TB

From March to July this year, the Gauteng Department of Health recorded 57 848 TB tests – a decrease of about 30 000 tests compared to the same period last year. The province performed better with HIV testing, although the HIV response has faltered in other areas. Melissa Javan makes sense of the province’s numbers and speaks to activists and community health workers about the impact of lockdown on their services and plans to get things back on track.

In-depth: Getting Gauteng’s HIV and TB response back on track

TB treatment time cut by a third

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 7: TB, HIV/AIDS, Latest, TB

A new four-month treatment course for drug-sensitive tuberculosis (the most common form of TB by far) is as safe and effective as the current six-month treatment course that has been in use since the 1980s, according to findings from a large new study. Amy Green reports.

What is behind SA’s higher TB numbers?

Posted in: Latest, TB, TB

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.