Motsoaledi, Didiza relaunch TB caucus in bid to rally political support for eradication of tuberculosis

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza have relaunched the country’s TB caucus to rally political support for the eradication of tuberculosis.

The parliamentary caucus waned since its launch in 2018, and Motsoaledi said the relaunch was necessary to get MPs to once again play an active role in mobilising their communities to get tested.

The health department aims to test 5 million people a year, as it also prepares for the introduction of a new vaccine to prevent the disease.

Minister Motsoaledi said parliamentarians need to be a bridge to their communities to reduce stigma, encourage early testing and provide support and guidance if government is to be successful in reaching its testing target.

Motsoaledi said that while new cases of TB had declined over the last ten years, it was still affecting hundreds of thousands each year, with HIV patients accounting for 54 percent of the TB population.

A live dashboard run by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is tracking how many people are being tested against the target, currently standing at just more than 1.7 million people tested since April.

"The human cost extends beyond lives, as more than half of households affected by TB face catastrophic costs, demonstrating that TB continues to exacerbate poverty."

Motsoaledi said that trials for the new M72 vaccine in seven countries, with the biggest testing site in South Africa, would pave the way for a switch in prevention.

"We believe by 2028, the trials will be over and we will start rolling it out. Only then, can we safely say, we are bringing an end to TB."

Motsoaledi said that TB would feature prominently at discussions of the G20 health ministers' meeting in Polokwane in November.