South Africa continues to lead the way in fighting Tubercolosis (TB). This was revealed by Minister of Health Doctor Aaron Motsoaledi during his closing address at the 5th South African TB Conference in Durban.
“Only 50.6% of patients were treated successfully but after introducing bed aquiline the figure jumped to 67 %. This is a 17 % improvement in mortality. We have seen a 9% decline in patients treated with bed aquiline. This is another example of South Africa leading on early implementation of new tools. I want to be there when people win the battle against Aids, you may as well with the battle against TB.”
The disease continues to kill millions across the globe, yet it is curable. Motsoaledi says there is a huge improvement in the fight of drug resistant TB as well.
As an extreme drug resistant TB survivor, Doctor Thato Mosidi gave a moving testimony at the 5th South African TB conference in Durban, about the gruelling nature of treatment for the disease.
She says she contracted TB while working and endured 30 pills during the treatment period. She counts herself among the few survivors in the country and says she is fortunate to be alive and to able to tell her story.
“ Like all other people who have been infected with drug resistant TB at the time I began a gruelling 26 month long journey of taking a handful of anti TB medication and by a handful I mean at that time I was required to drink 30 tablets on a daily basis for most of my treatment period. As a young doctor who has recently completed her community service years and was finally looking forward to specialising further in my medical career, being infected with TB was the last thing that I imagined happening to me. The cold reality is that the story is not unique and it is the story that is shared by other people around the world.”
Director for Drug-Resistant TB and TB & HIV in the National Department of Health, Doctor Norbert Ndjeka says treating drug resistant TB is more expensive.
“Treatment for MDR is very expensive, it cost government R400 to treat one patient with acceptable TB for the six months treatment and for the MDR treatment it cost us R24 000 only medicine. If you admit them you spend an average of R 2000 a day, it a very expensive treatment. It is a small number but government spends more money on that small MDR group than the bigger group of acceptable TB that is why we want to prevent MDR TB and TB as a whole, we have to prevent this.”
The conference ended with delegates recommitting themselves to heading back to their various destinations to fight TB.
Click below for more on the TB conference:
