170 people die of TB every day in SA, reveals Health Dept
The department has embarked on a national campaign to reduce the number of TB infections.
FILE: A digitally colourised scanning electron microscopic image depicts a grouping of red-coloured, rod-shaped Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria which cause tuberculosis in human beings. Picture: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
CAPE TOWN - According to the Department of Health, 170 people die of tuberculosis (TB) every day in South Africa.
The department has embarked on a national campaign to reduce the number of TB infections.
It plans on diagnosing 250,000 new cases from 2025 to 2026 through testing five million people.
The goal is to reduce the TB mortality rate by 41% over the next 10 years.
Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi said vaccination is key to curbing infections.
“It is generally believed around the world that the only thing that can end this is a vaccine, where everybody gets vaccinated like we vaccinate against many diseases, including recently COVID-19.”
The executive director for the Africa Health Research Institute, Willem Hanekom, said people across various age groups can contract and infect others with TB.
“The largest proportion of people with TB are in the late adolescents and young adulthood group, and therefore, we want to target them for vaccination.”