The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Sibongiseni Dhlomo, will lead the commemoration of the 2012 World TB Day with a focus on the impact of this preventable disease on the mining communities.
About 600,000 mine & contract workers have contracted TB and the incidence of TB in the mining community is estimated to be 3 000 - 7 000 cases per 100 000 population with more than 60% having the TB/HIV co-infected and some with silicosis. In 2010/11, about 11% of South African gold mining sector’s miners estimated to be infected with TB compared to an industry average of 5%.
Also, 0.72% miners were infected with silicosis compared to an industry average of 0.31% and yet, gold mines have limited TB & HIV services (only 56% of gold mines have TB & HIV services compared to 78% of platinum mines).
This World TB Day will also begin to highlight the impact of this disease on children under 15 years. All too often TB goes undiagnosed in children. Young children generally are unable to produce a sample. Even if a child with active TB succeeds in providing a sample, it often contains no detectable bacteria. Compounding difficulties with diagnosis is the fact that children with TB have families that are poor, lack knowledge about the disease and live in communities with limited access to health care.
Speaking ahead of the commemoration, MEC Dhlomo reiterated Minister Motsoaledi; “’If TB and HIV are a snake in Southern Africa, the head of the snake is here in South Africa. People come from all over the Southern African Development Community to work in our mines and export TB and HIV, along with their earnings.
If we want to kill a snake, we need to hit it on its head’. The challenge of diagnosing childhood TB has created a cycle of neglect, where insufficient awareness of the magnitude of the problem engenders a lack of public attention and action.”
Journalists are invited to World TB Day event to be held on:
Date: Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Time: 9h00
Venue: oKhukhu Mine, Zululand District
Contact:
Chris Maxon
Cell: 083 447 2869
