By Rachel Mohamed
Recent figures from the Department of Health reveal that more than 100 people die from tuberculosis (TB) daily in South Africa. Despite being a preventable and curable disease, TB remains a major public health crisis, often overlooked in everyday discourse.
The Department of Health has committed to addressing this issue, with plans to diagnose 250,000 new cases between 2025 and 2026 and to reduce TB-related mortality by 41% over the next decade.
Speaking on VOC’s News Beat, Dr. Lindiwe Mvusi, Director of the TB Control and Management Cluster at the National Department of Health, highlighted the gravity of the situation.
She revealed that final treatment outcome statistics for 2023 showed that 56,000 people died from TB that year alone. This alarming number prompted the department to investigate the reasons behind these deaths, given that TB is a curable disease.
“One of the key factors we identified is delayed healthcare-seeking behavior, along with misdiagnosis by clinicians. Additionally, many patients do not begin treatment early enough to improve their chances of recovery,” Mvusi explained.
Listen for the full interview:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
