"South Africa would be a better country in terms of disease if KwaZulu-Natal were to be removed from the equation."
That's the message from the province's health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo, who was speaking ahead of World TB Day, which is held worldwide today.
He said in recent months the department had traced and reached more than 1,2million people who were tested for TB, and about 70 percent of TB patients in the province were HIV positive.
What's more, the disease is at its worst in the province's only metro, eThekwini, Dhlomo said.
World TB Day is aimed at raising public awareness about the disease that results in the deaths of millions of people worldwide.
"South Africa is ranked third in the world with TB burden and is one of the 22 high-burden countries that contribute approximately 80 percent of the total global burden of all TB cases.
"KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape account for almost 50 percent of all TB cases," Dhlomo said.
District manager for the eThekwini health unit, Sibongile Shezi, said in the last quarter of 2010 they had identified 2,300 new TB cases, adding to the more than 9,000 cases of people already with TB.
The country's fight against the disease will receive an injection today when the national Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi unveils new technology at Umlazi's Prince Mshiyeni Hospital that will see the detection of the disease reduced from three weeks to two hours.
SA ranked third in the world with TB burden
"South Africa would be a better country in terms of disease if KwaZulu-Natal were to be removed from the equation."
That's the message from the province's health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo, who was speaking ahead of World TB Day, which is held worldwide today.
He said in recent months the department had traced and reached more than 1,2million people who were tested for TB, and about 70 percent of TB patients in the province were HIV positive.
What's more, the disease is at its worst in the province's only metro, eThekwini, Dhlomo said.
World TB Day is aimed at raising public awareness about the disease that results in the deaths of millions of people worldwide.
"South Africa is ranked third in the world with TB burden and is one of the 22 high-burden countries that contribute approximately 80 percent of the total global burden of all TB cases.
"KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape account for almost 50 percent of all TB cases," Dhlomo said.
District manager for the eThekwini health unit, Sibongile Shezi, said in the last quarter of 2010 they had identified 2,300 new TB cases, adding to the more than 9,000 cases of people already with TB.
The country's fight against the disease will receive an injection today when the national Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi unveils new technology at Umlazi's Prince Mshiyeni Hospital that will see the detection of the disease reduced from three weeks to two hours.
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