By creating a focus area every year on tuberculosis on World TB Day, Government hopes that more support will be forthcoming to support the fight against the disease.
This year health services will focus on campaigns in communities and schools to spread the messages and encourage people to come forward for testing.
Government has prioritised TB Control as needing urgent and sustained interventions. "The Western Cape Department of Health is committed to build on its existing TB programme, thereby providing a 'Healthy Home for All' in the province," said Pierre Uys, Minister of Health in the Western Cape.
"The Western Cape Provincial Government remains deeply concerned about the rising epidemic and is determined to ensure that additional resources are made available to support health services in the fight against TB," Uys said.
As a result an additional R12m was made available this year to support TB hospitals and those sub-districts worst affected by the epidemic.
"The Western Cape achieved 67% cure rates in 2004," said Dr Keith Cloete, Acting Chief Director: Health Programmes for the Western Cape Department of Health.
"Although much progress has been made to control TB and improve programme performance in Cape Town over the years, the number of TB cases reported each year continues to escalate with 26,794 cases reported in Cape Town alone last year - an increase of 10% compared to the previous year," said Dr Ivan Toms, Director, City Health.
Informal settlements where poverty and overcrowding are rife have experienced the most significant growth in reported cases with the overall incidence rates in Cape Town now up to 874 per 100,000 population, ranging from 496 per 100, 000 in Tygerberg to 1,612 per 100,000 in Khayelitsha.
In support of the Khomanani TB 2006 campaign - HOLA 6, the Western Cape Department of Health in conjunction with City Health and Desmond Tutu TB Centre will host several interventions for World TB Day, 24 March 2006. These include a Taxi Rank Blitz at New Guguletu taxi rank, clinic interventions at Luvuyo & Vuyani Clinics, a door-to-door awareness campaign in the Luvuyo and Vuyani communities and school awareness interventions in the surrounding areas. Pierre Uys, the MEC for Health will be visiting the Brooklyn Chest TB Hospital on the day.
The annual awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, 23 March 2006 at the Langa Indoor Sports Complex, Bhunga Avenue preceded by a photographic exhibition.
The overall objective of the open day is to mobilise the nation to test for TB and to encourage those that have dropped out of the programme to return and resume treatment. The open day will be dedicated to offering screening, testing, diagnosis, counselling, education, advise, appropriate referral to services and distribution of information material.
Dr Keith Cloete
Acting Chief Director: Health Programmes, Western Cape Department of Health
Tel: 483 2518
Cell: 082 4627 229
Dr Ivan Toms
Director City Health
Tel: 400 2100
Cell: 084-2200-143
Mark v/d Heever
Directorate: Communication, Western Cape Department of Health
Tel: 483 3716
Cell: 073 9422 902
Fax: 483 6169
TB Facts
Tell tale signs of TB
TB is very common in our communities, what would make someone think they might have TB?
If anyone has two or more of the following signs present:
Please note :
What causes TB?
How is TB spread?
How can the spread of TB be prevented?
How can a person know for certain if they have TB?
Who is most at risk of developing TB?
How long is TB treatment?
Important facts to remember if a patient is on TB treatment
How will a person know if the TB treatment is working?
Patients will have to visit the clinic at regular intervals during TB treatment to have their sputum checked to see if they are responding to treatment
What happens when a patient does not drink his/her tablets regularly ?
What about immunisation against TB?
BCG immunisation at birth does not stop TB but prevents the more serious forms of disease (TB meningitis and milliary TB)
What is the link between TB and HIV?
If someone has HIV:
Is TB a serious illness?