Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection caused primarily by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that most commonly affects the lungs but can also attack other parts of the body. The disease spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks, making it one of the most transmissible infectious diseases globally. Symptoms typically include a persistent cough lasting more than three weeks, chest pain, coughing up blood or sputum, fatigue, fever, night sweats and weight loss. Tuberculosis remains a major global public-health challenge, with particularly high prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia and other regions where poverty, malnutrition, HIV co-infection and limited access to healthcare compound transmission and treatment challenges. The disease can be latent, where the bacteria remain dormant in the body without causing symptoms, or active, where symptoms manifest and the person becomes infectious. Treatment involves a lengthy course of multiple antibiotics, typically lasting six months or longer, and drug-resistant strains have emerged as a significant concern. Prevention strategies include the BCG vaccine, which offers partial protection especially in children, and infection control measures in healthcare settings and congregate environments. The World Health Organization estimates that tuberculosis causes more than one-million deaths annually, making it one of the top infectious disease killers worldwide. In Africa, the burden is particularly acute owing to high rates of HIV co-infection, which significantly increases susceptibility to tuberculosis and complicates treatment outcomes.
Tuberculosis Updates
PSA calls for urgent intervention in National Health Laboratory Service debt crisis
27th May 2026 The Public Servants Association (PSA) is extremely concerned about the more than R11 billion owed by provincial health departments to the National... →
Secretive deals, aggressive demands are new US foreign aid tactics
By: Bloomberg 22nd May 2026 On a Friday last November, government officials representing Lesotho, a mountainous enclave in eastern South Africa, sat down in the capital Maseru... →
Ghana rejects proposed US health aid deal, citing data concerns, source says
28th April 2026 Ghana has rejected a bilateral health deal with the US, a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters, the latest stumbling block to the... →
SA: Paul Mashatile: Address by Deputy President, at the official Commemoration of World TB Day, Western Cape (24/03/2026)
27th March 2026 I remember last year, during our commemoration in KwaZulu-Natal, a young man named Sibusiso approached me to share his challenging journey. He... →
African Union: how does it make a difference in everyday life and what would happen if it didn’t exist?
20th February 2026 The African Union held its 39th Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February 2026. The two-day assembly produced... →
SA: Paul Mashatile: Address by South Africa's President, at the official commemoration of World AIDS Day, Ga-Masemola, Limpopo (01/12/2025)
2nd December 2025 This year, South Africa's theme of "Renewed Efforts and Sustainable Commitments to end AIDS" highlights the need to revitalise strategies to... →
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