One of the most intriguing findings from South Africa’s first National TB Prevalence Survey was that out of 234 people found to have TB, 58% had abnormal chest X-rays without experiencing any TB symptoms. The short report in which the findings were made public recommended the expanded use of X-ray technology for TB screening.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa’s TB response early and hard. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on TB, South Africa urgently needs to release the national TB Recovery Plan and the Department of Health should urgently implement steps outlined in the TB Recovery Plan to save lives.

Tuberculosis preventive therapy is highly effective in preventing TB disease and death, yet only a few people have access to it. Tiyese Jeranji reports in Spotlight on how Médecins Sans Frontières in Khayelitsha (Cape Town, South Africa) is helping TB patients and their contacts access preventive therapy in the comfort of their homes as part of a new family-centred care initiative.

South Africa’s First National TB Prevalence Survey (findings of which were published earlier this year) found that in 2018, the country’s tuberculosis burden was substantially higher than previously thought. 

Treatment of drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (DR-TB) in South Africa has been transformed over the last decade. Most people with DR-TB no longer have to take daily injections and treatment is often completed in nine months, compared to 18 to 24 months in the past. Maybe most importantly, fewer people are dying of DR-TB and fewer people are suffering hearing loss, a common side effect of injections used in the past.

People with COVID-19 and people with tuberculosis (TB) can experience similar symptoms such as coughing and breathing difficulties as both diseases affect the lungs. Exactly how these diseases affect the lungs, however, differs.