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South Africa Struggles To Curb TB Spread

Written by Associated Press on October 13, 2009 3:38 pm

south africa

Tuberculosis control in South Africa is among the worst in the world with infections tripling in the last decade, the country’s deputy health minister said on Monday.

“TB prevalence has increased almost threefold in the last 10 years. South Africa is amongst the 10 worst performing countries on TB control,” the SAPA news agency quoted deputy minister Molefi Sefularo as saying.

“This has left us anxious and concerned.”

South Africa’s performance in fighting TB was worse than that of its neighbour Mozambique, despite having far better resources, Sefularo told a meeting of AIDS and TB specialists in Cape Town.

The World Health Organisation estimates almost one percent or 461,000 South Africans develop TB annually, with government figures showing that the disease was the country’s leading natural cause of death in 2006.

Sefularo said South Africa’s current cure rate of about 65 percent was significantly better than the 51 percent it had in 2004, but was far below the WHO’s recommended cure rate of 85 percent.

“We are in danger of not meeting our Millennium Development Goals as a result of these poor outcomes,” he said.

The presence of multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant (XDR-TB) strains combined with HIV posed major challenges, he said.

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Tags: Africa, Black Families, South Africa
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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Da_J_Rok/ Da_J_Rok

    Of course, EU tryin to kill ‘em all so they can steal the rest of the diamonds and gold

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/jazzpast/ jazzpast

    How can a preventable disease such as TB be so rampant in South Afrika among its black populace but not with the elite white populace?

    How can Obama give $30 Billion in funding to Israel every year when we are in recession, no bail out for US the common folks, and he cant urge his party or other countries to help out such a preventable diseases in the continent of Afrika?

    So much for winning the Nobel Peace prize for seating as a president for 11 days. He couldve given the money that comes with the REWARD to help people like in South Afrika and others.However, he opt out in donating it to amerikkkan charities that we know those charitable monies never get to the hood.

  • http://thedailyparr.com/jon-stewart/posts-about-jon-stewart-as-of-october-13-2009-13/ Posts about Jon Stewart as of October 13, 2009 » The Daily Parr

    [...] Jon Stewart rips CNN a new one! (Seriously? OMG!) British model Vikki Blows 2010 artsy calendar. South Africa Struggles To Curb TB Spread – newsone.com 10/13/2009 Tuberculosis control in South Africa is among the worst in the world [...]

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/SEARCH09/ SEARCH09

    So what do you intend to do about it?Why is it when these stupid good for nothing white people bring up anything about Africa,it is always negative and completely uninformative.This is a strategic plan to have blacks throughout the world think so poorly about that huge continent and to not offer a helping had.GO AND BRING UP BETTER IMAGES OF PEOPLE IN AFRICA!NOT ALL OF THEM SUFFER!always bringing up some disease as if the continent itself was one.I have a suggestion…with all the explosions that you’ll have secretly hidden in you’ll closet–go and kill yo selves 3x!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!you’ll should be an expert in doing just that>> snap snap

  • http://newsone.com/world/news-one-staff/public-health-advocates-work-to-eradicate-guinea-worm-disease-in-sudan/ Public Health Advocates Work To Eradicate Guinea Worm Disease In Sudan | News One

    [...] South Africa Struggles To Curb TB Spread [...]

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