Experts urge community action to combat tuberculosis in SA

Experts are calling for more community involvement to fight against the scourge of tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa.
March marks TB Awareness month under the theme, “Yes! We Can End TB! Led by countries, Powered by people”.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), South Africa’s multi-pronged efforts have led to a 53% reduction in TB incidence rate since 2015, while treatment coverage has increased from 58% to 77% since 2020.
However, it is still the second greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent.
A non-profit company specialising in TB and HIV, TB-HIV Care say the cure rate for TB remains low at 83% in South Africa, largely due to socio-economic factors.
Their Western Cape spokesperson Nomzamo Vali says, “TB in South Africa remains one of the leading infectious diseases, and also globally. But in South Africa, we continue to face a high burden of TB, largely linked to factors such as poverty, overcrowding, and also, like, there’s a high prevalence of TB and difficulty in curing it, even though treatment only takes six months.”
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