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TB’s preventative treatment regimen: a health worker shares her experience

When TB Preventative Therapy (TPT) was first adopted in South Africa in 2002, the idea was that it would only be offered to people who were at the highest risk of getting TB disease after being exposed. These were mainly children under the age of five and people living with HIV, regardless of their age. At the time, preventative therapy entailed a cocktail of anti-tuberculosis medicines, given with the intention of preventing the person from getting TB. The treatment period was between one to six months and resulted in significant side effects which affected how people adhered to the regimens and whether […]

[Gallery]: TB Accountability Consortium commemorating World TB Day 2025

Gauteng marks World TB Day zoning in on TB testing in mines

As part of its contribution to reduce the country’s TB burden over the next year, South Africa’s economic hub will be focusing on testing miners and getting them on treatment. On World TB Day, South Africa’s National Department of Health rolled out the End TB campaign, an ambitious plan to test 5 million people for TB this year in a bid to reduce the country’s burden. This year’s Gauteng commemoration of World TB Day took place at Harmony Gold Kusasalethu Mine on March 27, where delegates focused on the urgent need for accelerated TB testing, particularly in the mining sector. […]

Disappointing that the US funding gap has not been covered in the budget

Press release12 March 2025 The TB Accountability Consortium is disappointed that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has failed to account for the additional finances required to cover the activities that were sponsored by funding from the US government, that have now been withdrawn.If this funding gap is not addressed, critical support in the provision of HIV and TB services in South Africa will be crippled. There are about 280 000 people estimated to have TB each year and it remains the biggest infectious disease killer. Just under 60% of people with TB are co-infected with HIV. The aid that was halted […]

Addressing the growing challenge of TB in children and young people remains on the global agenda

The Union’s annual lung health conference has once again highlighted the urgent need to tackle TB in children and adolescents more effectively. The conference, which was held in Bali, Indonesia from 12 to 16 November 2024 provided a global platform for discussions on tuberculosis (TB) and lung health, focusing on issues such as the stigma surrounding the disease, the challenges of diagnosing and treating TB, the importance of improving access to TB medicines. The conference also captured the stories from TB survivors, expert insights and calls for more global action showed how much work is still needed. One of the […]

World Diabetes Day: “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”

Diabetes and Tuberculosis (TB) are two significant public health challenges in South Africa, both of which are worsening due to systemic gaps in healthcare delivery. This is coupled with insufficient data collection and inadequate prevention efforts. As the world observes World Diabetes Day under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”, the question of how diabetes contributes to TB patients is once again raised. Diabetes has become one of the top ten causes of death in the country, and the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes is being fuelled by urbanisation, changing lifestyles and a lack of targeted healthcare interventions. This […]

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OPINION | Govt’s lack of transparency makes it difficult to monitor efficacy of TB programmes