LIFESTYLE NEWS - Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in South Africa. According to the World Health Organization's Global TB Report, close to 304 000 people in South Africa developed TB in 2021, bringing the country's incidence rate to 513 per 100 0002. South Africa also has the highest burden of TB/HIV and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB)3.
In 2019 a total of 58 000 people died of TB in South Africa. Despite the high death rate, TB is still relatively misunderstood and not often discussed.
However, it is essential for everyone to be aware of this disease and how they can prevent and screen for it.
On 24 March, it is World TB Day and serves as a global platform to raise awareness, improve education, and catalyse personal, collective and government action.
BD (Becton Dickinson), a leading global medical technology and diagnostics provider, will be using this day to bring awareness and education around TB.
The country’s TB epidemic is driven by a number of factors including low socio-economic status and a high HIV coinfection burden3. Effective TB treatments are available and South Africa has made considerable progress in fighting the disease, but more is needed to bring it under control. According to the First National TB Prevalence Survey (2018), delayed health-seeking behaviour among individuals with TB and the high burden of undiagnosed disease in communities also drive the TB epidemic3.
“We are all aware of the different challenges health systems are facing. That negatively impacts on health outcomes including the detection of TB cases and their effective treatment. In 2023, we can approach this major contributor to South Africa’s burden of disease with new energy and step-up awareness and TB services to all communities,” explains Ian Wakefield, General Manager of BD Africa.
BD supports TB education and aims to improve access to solutions needed for the diagnosis and care of TB. It forms part of continued research and development of products and technologies used to diagnose and treat TB patients.
About Tuberculosis (TB) and why it is important to get tested
TB is an infectious disease caused by the spread of respiratory droplets containing a bacteria (bacilli), Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The likelihood of transmission is affected by the strength of the infectious source, the infectiousness of the TB bacteria, the immune status of the host patient, environmental stresses, and biosocial factors such as living conditions.
Active TB has a greater burden of TB bacteria than latent TB and acts as an infection source for contacts. Latent tuberculosis infection is the state in which the person is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis but does not have any clinical symptoms and the infection is not detected through x-ray or microbiological testing.
TB testing and screening are essential for public health.TB can spread from person to person easily and can be fatal if untreated.
It is important to get tested if you have any of the following symptoms:
- General feelings of sickness or weakness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Coughing with/without coughing up blood
- Chest pain.
It is also important to get tested if you are at high risk for developing active TB or are at high risk of being exposed to the infection.
Those at high risk for developing TB disease include:
- People who have spent time with someone who has TB
- People from a country where TB disease is common like South Africa
- People who live or work in high-risk settings such as correctional facilities, long-term care facilities or nursing homes, and homeless shelters
- Healthcare workers who care for patients at increased risk for TB
- Infants, children and adolescents exposed to adults are at increased risk for latent tuberculosis infection or TB.
“TB affects hundreds of thousands of South Africans. Our responsibility is to create awareness and reduce stigma as this would help encourage individuals to go for screening. If we are able to act with certainty and speed to identify possible cases and secure a diagnosis, we can start treatment early. This helps prevent the further spread of TB, reduces the potential for more severe, treatment-resistant forms of the disease and saves lives. BD researches and develops medical technologies that support health systems, and health workers and benefit their patients. We are proud to participate in this vital initiative – it is a giant step towards making quality healthcare accessible to South Africans who need it most,” concludes Wakefield.
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