TB rights group urges government to ensure HIV and TB services are better integrated.

South Africa’s fight against HIV is set to get a major boost this year, with the rollout of a new six-monthly HIV prevention injection.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country will begin distributing Lenacapavir, a proven injection to prevent HIV transmission.

The programme is backed by R520 million from the Global Fund, enough to provide the injection to more than 450 000 people over two years.

Ramaphosa said the rollout is part of the vision of a future free from AIDS.

The TB Accountability Consortium (TBAC) is urging the government to ensure HIV and TB services are better integrated.

It says more than half of people with TB in South Africa are also living with HIV, and TB claims around 31 000 lives among this group each year, threatening families and economic stability.

TBAC programme director Russell Rensburg says while the injection is welcome, the country needs to think about how to better integrate HIV and TB service delivery.

"We need to think about how to better strengthen our district health services to ensure that we can deliver a better life for all that is premised on the idea that everybody that needs to access health can access it where they need it, when they need it, without financial harm," Rensburg said.

As South Africa takes another step in the fight against HIV, experts warn the twin epidemic of TB cannot be ignored.