TB Accountability Consortium

TB Accountability Consortium

Could tongue swabs help close South Africa’s TB testing gap?

By: Aphelele Buqwana Getting tested for TB often means producing a sputum sample as the first step. But this can be difficult for people who have no symptoms, cannot cough up sputum or cannot easily access their local clinic. In South Africa, these gaps in testing contribute to thousands of people with TB going undiagnosed. An estimated 65 000 people with TB were missed by the health system in 2024, meaning they may not have been diagnosed or received treatment. Researchers in the country are looking at whether a simple tongue swab could offer another way to screen for TB, […]

READ MORE
Gauteng is strengthening its multisectoral response to TB, but persistent gaps remain

Ending TB in South Africa will require more than just a biomedical response. It will need a response that includes social development, recognising TB as more than a health issue, but as a socio-economic challenge shaped by poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and other factors that continue to influence people’s vulnerability to the disease and their ability to complete treatment. However, in Gauteng, efforts to engage a multisectoral response to the disease will need to be strengthened and further built up to improve TB outcomes and close the gaps that continue to fuel the epidemic. Recently, members of the Gauteng Provincial […]

READ MORE
AI-powered digital stethoscope to strengthen early TB screening in South Africa

By: Aphelele Buqwana Efforts to strengthen early TB detection in South Africa continue to be shaped by persistent gaps in access to diagnostic tools and limitations in symptom-based screening, particularly at community level. AI Diagnostics, a South African health-tech company, has developed an artificial intelligence-powered TB screening technology aimed at addressing these challenges. The technology uses a handheld digital stethoscope to record lung sounds, which are analysed using artificial intelligence to identify people at risk of TB in under three minutes using only a smartphone and standardised breathing recordings. It is designed to support healthcare workers in clinics, communities, workplaces and […]

READ MORE

SITSHELE: It’s time to tell us!

Translated as “tells us” in isiZulu, Sitshele wants get the government to answer critical questions about the TB response.

Sitshele shares the stories of all the ordinary people who have been affected by TB, forcing the government to see why TB now needs to be a national priority.

VISIT TB WALL FOR MORE STORIES

Partners

The consolidation of partnerships is currently underway, yet TBAC looks to work closely with the following leading organisations in the TB landscape: