Media

New TB preventive treatment guidelines from The Union: What does this mean for South Africa?

By: Aphelele Buqwana The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung disease has released a new report outlining updated evidence on TB Preventive Therapy with recommendations for how to protect close contacts of a person with drug-resistant TB. TB Preventive Therapy (TPT) is a course of medication given to people at risk of acquiring TB to protect them from getting the disease. In South Africa, the uptake of TPT remains low. This is despite it being an evidence-based intervention to treat latent TB infection and prevent it from progressing to active TB. To unpack the report in the context of South Africa, TBAC […]

AHF joins the consortium to strengthen TB and HIV response in South Africa

By: Aphelele Buqwana The TB Accountability Consortium’s newest partner, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) hopes to focus on reducing TB stigma in South Africa as part of its obligation in the consortium. For AHF, the partnership with TBAC signifies an important step in strengthening integrated responses to both TB and HIV, particularly in communities burdened by both diseases. AHF is a global non-profit organisation providing advanced HIV prevention services, testing and healthcare to 2 million people in over 45 countries. In South Africa, AHF has been involved in community-led HIV treatment and prevention programmes for many years, with initiatives that […]

Civil society shows up for TB at National Department of Health workshop

The National Department of Health recently convened the END TB Campaign Workshop, held from 16–17 July 2025. The workshop brought together civil society organisations and TB champions from across the country to strengthen coordination in South Africa’s TB response. See some moments from the workshop in the pictures below.

TB champions share ongoing challenges and gaps in care in their provinces

One of the biggest challenges to reduce South Africa’s TB burden is people’s ability to complete their treatment. But, in two provinces, the country’s TB ambassadors are working to fix this. The TBAC team reached out to dedicated TB champions in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape to discuss the challenges in the provinces and how they mobilise people and help link them to care. Provincial TB champions raised concerns about patients being lost-to follow up and how cross-border and inter-districts movements affects treatment completion. They share their insights on the realities on the ground and the work being done […]

June 2025 TBAC Budget submission Presentation

Civil society organisations provide budget inputs to parliament

Civil society organisations are sounding the alarm over South Africa’s underfunded public health system, warning that continued neglect is threatening years of progress in reducing TB cases and improving rural healthcare. In presentations to the Standing Committee on Appropriations, the TB Accountability Consortium (TBAC) and the Rural Health Advocacy Project (RHAP) called for urgent political will, better planning, and targeted investment in vulnerable communities. RHAP highlighted that despite the government’s planned R20 billion increase to the health budget, rural communities would continue to face dire health outcomes. Researcher and policy officer Celene Coleman noted that RHAP welcomed the hiring […]

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 […]