Businesses in South Africa Should Address TB in Workplace, Health Minister Says

Businesses in South Africa need to take part in the government's efforts to combat tuberculosis by addressing the disease in the workplace, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said Friday at a meeting with business leaders, the SAPA/Mail & Guardian reports. TB programs in the workplace can benefit employees by increasing their awareness about the disease and providing support and treatment, and employers can save money and reduce employee absenteeism, according to the SAPA/Mail & Guardian. Employees living with TB can lose an average of three to four months of labor, which accounts for 20% to 30% of their annual income, and premature deaths from TB cost about 15 years of income, the SAPA/Mail & Guardian reports (SAPA/Mail & Guardian, 8/5). At the meeting, South African Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS CEO Brad Mears said workplace programs that focus on TB detection and treatment are particularly crucial because of the link between TB and HIV. He added that the coalition aims to sensitize businesses to the goals of the national TB control program. The meeting coincided with Tshabalala-Msimang's launch of a campaign to increase TB control efforts in Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape -- the four regions in the country with the highest number of TB cases and the lowest treatment success rates (Dlamini, BuaNews/AllAfrica.com, 8/4). The South African government has asked all provinces in the country to identify districts that have had low success with TB control and establish a plan to improve their efforts (GlobalHealthReporting.org, 8/4). The Gauteng Province Department of Health on Friday launched its TB crisis plan. The province has recorded the third highest TB incidence with 376 cases of the disease per 100,000 people, the AngolaPress reports. According to Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa has the seventh highest TB burden in the world and the country's treatment default rate also is high (AngolaPress, 8/5).