21 August 2024 South Africa has made significant gains in reversing the losses following the two-year response to the global covid pandemic. In the last year, we have seen a significant increase in TB testing with increases in the number of people initiated on TB treatment. Avoidable TB deaths remain way too high with over 50 000 people losing their lives annually to a curable and preventable disease. Ending TB will require a whole of society approach, and it is to this end that the TB Accountability Consortium (TBAC) welcomes the signing in of the second Presidential Health Compact by […]

For an average Mankosi Village resident to get to the nearest healthcare facility, it takes hours to get there. Mankosi is a remote rural community in the Eastern Cape with about 6000 residents, 60km outside of Mthatha. For Nozibongo Tyalinkomo, a Mankosi resident, it takes a huge toll on her to go to the nearest clinic because she has to walk long distances to and from the clinic, or hire a car that will cost her a lot of money. This challenge is just one of many faced by residents when seeking healthcare. Other challenges that they face include the […]

As South Africa welcomes back Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi as Minister of Health for a fourth term, his legacy of championing healthcare access and tackling the country’s most pressing health challenges, including tuberculosis (TB), comes into sharp focus. Dr. Motsoaledi served as the Minister of Health in South Africa from May 2009 to May 2019, during which he demonstrated commitment to expanding healthcare access and addressing major public health issues. His tenure was characterised by notable initiatives in 2018 to support the National Health Insurance program and increase accessibility to HIV/AIDS treatment. Dr. Motsoaledi intensified efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of […]

Tackling TB in children is one of the issues that received much needed  discussion at the eighth SA TB Conference in Durban.  According to a 2020 article on TB prevalence, incidence, and prevention, children living with HIV accounted for 7% of South Africa’s reported 328,000 TB cases in children under 15. In addition, a World Health Organization article indicates that the global situation is even more alarming, with 1.3 million children falling ill with TB worldwide in 2022. At the conference, the TB Accountability Consortium spoke to Dr Juli Switala about TB in children.  Switala said the staggering 54,000 TB-related deaths […]

Besides preventing illness and death, tuberculosis prevention therapy is estimated to be highly cost effective. Yet, uptake of the medication is not what it could be in South Africa.

The TB Accountability Consortium (TBAC) attended South Africa’s 8th TB Conference in Durban under the theme Accelerating Progress to End TB.   The conference focused on advancing the national and global response to tuberculosis (TB). It served as a platform for discussing the latest research, innovations, and challenges in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and stigma.  TBAC hosted a satellite session titled “The State of TB in South Africa: Exploring challenges in the care cascade.” The session was framed around TBAC’s 2024 State of TB report, which highlights South Africa’s relatively high TB infection and death rates. The report examines factors such […]