Vuyo Mkize
JOHANNESBURG: In two years, South Africa will for the first time know the exact number of people living with tuberculosis (TB) in the country, if the government has its way.
For years the country has relied on estimates provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on how many people were at risk of contracting TB and how many were living with it.
Yesterday, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was optimistic as he launched South Africa’s first National TB Prevalence Survey.
Speaking at a joint commemoration with the African Union and Department of Health to mark World TB Day – which is celebrated tomorrow – at Lephalale in Limpopo, Ramaphosa said although the WHO estimates were “informative”, they were open to contestation and getting accurate data would enable government to “better measure” its response to the epidemic.
South Africa is among the 22 high-burden countries that collectively contribute about 80 percent of the total global burden of TB cases.
“The WHO has always urged countries to undertake a national TB prevalence survey at least once every five years. This crucial survey will be undertaken by the Department of Health, supported by the SA Medical Research Council and the Human Sciences Research Council,” Ramaphosa said.
“We expect the survey to be concluded within two years and look forward to getting a truer indication of our TB burden.”
Ramaphosa and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi officially opened the Marapong Community Health Centre at a Lephalale informal settlement.
The centre is a public/ private partnership clinic to replace the old four-roomed house used to serve the community’s health needs.
Ramaphosa said Lephalale had appropriately been chosen as a place to commemorate World TB Day and to continue the government’s screening campaign as it had been bearing a growing brunt of the disease.
Lephalale is one of the fastest-growing towns in the country, following the discovery of huge coal deposits that are being mined. Already, there is evidence that TB infections, contrary to the general decline nationally in other provinces, are on the increase in the area, especially in informal settlements such as Marapong.
“In Lephalale, TB/HIV co-infection stands at about 65 percent, compared to the national average of 55 percent. We are aware that we are more likely to succeed in Lephalale if we have strong partnerships with non-government entities, including the private sector,” Ramaphosa said.
Motsoaledi said the joint commemoration of the event with the AU was crucial as it underlined the importance of a “continent-wide” response to the epidemic.
“As we all know the borders in our continent are very porous, with a significant number of people moving across borders. This means that we must be able to harmonise our treatment protocols, the drugs we use as well as a common database. We have already started on this with 10 selected countries in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region. We are convinced that a continent-wide approach is what is ultimately needed,” he said. Ramaphosa praised Motsoaledi for being awarded the USAID-TB International Award.