Published 17 January 2015
On 24 March 2015, Community Based Counselling and Testing (CBCT) mobile teams in Tshwane District joined the international community in commemorating World Tuberculosis Day themed “Gear Up to End TB” by World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to WHO, Tuberculosis (TB) is the second greatest killer disease worldwide due to a single infectious agent. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low and middle income countries, and it is among the top 5 causes of death for women aged 15 to 44. TB is also a leading killer of HIV positive people causing one fourth of all HIV-related deaths. The estimated number of people falling ill with TB each year is declining very slowly. There has been a 45% drop in the TB death rate between 1990 and 2013, and an estimated 37 million lives were saved through TB diagnosis and treatment between 2000 and 2013. http://who.int/mediacentre/factsheets.
South Africa is one of the countries with the highest burden of TB. According to the Department of Health, globally SA has the third highest incidence of any country after India and China, and the incidence has increased by 400% over the past 15 years. The latest figure is that 73% of TB patients are HIV positive. http://www.tbfacts.org/tb-statistics-south-africa.html
South African Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa launched a comprehensive TB screening and testing campaign at Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, North West Province under the theme “Ending South Africa’s TB epidemic: Accelerating our response in Key Populations” on 24 March 2015. The longevity of this campaign aims to mobilise all South Africans particularly the mining communities, inmates at correctional facilities and early childhood development centres which are to be screened and tested for TB.
Through HIV Counselling and Testing campaigns, the South African government has made tremendous effort to strengthen its strategies to control TB by increasing screening and testing in the past five years.
Consequently CBCT mobile teams conducted build-up campaigns to World TB Day providing HIV Counselling and Testing and TB Screening to communities in Soshanguve Block H and L on the 19th and 20th of March 2015. This culminated in a campaign at KT Motubatse Clinic in Soshanguve on 24 March 2015 and a follow up joint campaign with the clinic in Soshanguve Block XX on 25 March 2015.