MICHAEL Wilson believes that South Africa has adequate tools to end the wide spread of tuberculosis (TB) in the country.
Wilson is a director of a Durban-based non-profit organisation (NPO), Advance Access and Delivery South Africa (AADSA), which is working in solidarity with partners around the world to overcome barriers to high-quality care and medicines, particularly for economically and socially marginalised groups.
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As the world observes World Tuberculosis Day today, on March 24, Wilson said, “The theme of World TB Day 2023 says, ‘Yes, we can end TB!’ I think this is a hopeful narrative, particularly for South Africa since the nation has a large number of adult patients dying from TB infections. We have enough relevant tools to end TB, and we need to consider that as we reflect on this important day.”
He mentioned that South Africa is among the countries that have the highest cases of TB in the world. He described x-rays as one of the effective tools to end the virus. “We have lots of the necessary tools to end TB, but I think a comprehensive approach works best, which includes testing, treating and preventing the virus. We need to do all these at the same time. South Africa has made great strides in the fight against TB, despite the setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, but we still have a high number of undiagnosed cases of the virus,” said Willson.
The director said anyone is at risk of getting a TB infection. “I know that many people think that to have TB, you need to have symptoms, but that is not the case because we pick up lots of TB infections through x-rays from patients who have no symptoms. People need to know that even if they don’t have symptoms, it is vital to go for testing,” he advised.
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Wilson revealed that a high number of TB infections in South Africa are found in people who use drugs or who are homeless. “I am raising funds for an x-ray machine that can be dedicated to this particular demographic. While there has been much funding going towards the efforts in finding missing TB cases, we need to think about intensifying our efforts to assist drug users and the homeless,” he said.
He admitted that the stigma associated with TB still exists. “I think TB-related stigma is still very real. We need to continue raising awareness about TB and explain to people that the virus is affecting everyone and that it is treatable,” Wilson added.
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