TB infection control

In South Africa around 300,000 people daevelop tuberculosis every year and about 56,000 people die. Yet TB infection control in our public health facilities remains inadequate. For years we have been calling for certain measures to be adopted for TB infection control, only to see key measures made quickly possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are able to educate people about COVID-19 infection control, to ensure the use of masks in clinics, to screen people for COVID-19 symptoms on arrival, to ensure the provision of COVID-19 posters in all South African languages, then these things must be possible for TB as well.

TAC believes that all public health facilities should follow a checklist of basic steps to ensure adequate TB infection control measures are in place. We will continue to monitor to ensure this is happening through Ritshidze, and expose and take action where not.