South Africa has the 3^rd worst TB epidemic on the African continent, after Nigeria and Ethiopia. Breakdowns in TB support, implementation and community systems all contribute to high treatment interruption, low cure rates, and inefficient case finding.

USAID works actively with the Government of South Africa to address the worsening TB epidemic through a comprehensive approach to prevention and treatment. Through organisations such as Clapp & Mayne and various local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the USAID/South Africa TB program aims to:

• Strengthen surveillance of multiple drug resistance nationwide.
• Conduct advocacy and public education through mass media.
• Strengthen Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS).
• Coordinate with HIV/AIDS programs.
• Improve recording and reporting systems.
• Train health providers to improve prevention, identification and treatment of TB.

Advocacy and Public Education: Impact

USAID recently supported a TB documentary featuring TB patients and their stories. The documentary was aired nationally and provided a frequently forgotten voice of the suffering and impact of TB on real people’s lives. One of these people is Jaco Joseph. 

Jaco is 12 years old and has lost both his mother and grandmother to TB. He is a patient at Brooklyn Chest Hospital in Cape Town, where he must stay until he is cured of the multi-drug resistant TB that his mother transmitted to him.

Jaco is a brave and responsible boy. When he became ill he made sure that his three-year-old brother was tested for TB. Luckily his mother had not infected the younger boy.

Young as he is, Jaco understands that failure to complete TB treatment can be fatal. He also understands how untreated TB puts others at risk. “My mother should have taken her tablets. It is though her that I am sick.”

It is a harsh reality for a child to face, but Jaco puts his experience to good use by encouraging other young people to stick to their treatment.

Management Impact

Through management support and technical assistance, USAID/South Africa helped all nine provinces nationwide to adopt medium-term development plans for addressing TB in their provinces. This important achievement has helped to:

• Build political commitment to raise the profile of TB
• Provide good access to laboratory testing
• Ensure the technical soundness and social support for DOTS
• Secure sufficient resources to achieve international targets
• Ensure an uninterrupted supply of quality drugs
• Develop and implement a policy on multi-drug resistant TB
• Implement regular recording and reporting systems
• Build partnerships at all levels of government, non-government and private sectors
• Ensure access to voluntary counselling and HIV-testing for all TB patients

To learn more about USAID’s TB program, please visit/contact: Lindiwe Mvuse/DOH, (012) 312 0090