End TB campaign launch: A milestone towards a tuberculosis-free South Africa

South Africa marked a significant step in its fight against tuberculosis (TB) with the official launch of the End TB Campaign being held in Ugu, KwaZulu-Natal, March 24. 

High ranking government officials including Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi and Dr. Joe Phaahla, the deputy minister of health, were at the launch.

The event showcases SA's commitment to ending TB as a public health threat by 2035.

The ambitious goals

The first phase of the campaign is the '5 million test drive.' The goal is to test five million people for TB by March 2026, with a secondary goal of diagnosing 250,000 people by the end of 2025. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to reduce TB deaths by 41% by 2035.

Shock stats

These goals reflect the urgency of addressing TB, the leading cause of death from an infectious disease in South Africa. In 2023 alone, an estimated 270,000 people developed TB, with more than half of those people also living with HIV. This data highlights the crisis that the End TB Campaign seeks to resolve.

Breaking barriers

The campaign's strategy is multifaceted: it reaches clinics, communities, schools and workplaces. It emphasises the importance of widespread testing, which is free, fast, and life-saving. Importantly, the campaign strives to eliminate stigmas associated with TB and normalise testing. The campaign has also involved influencers and public figures to help encourage people to get tested and break stigmas around the disease. 

Be the change

The End TB Campaign is more than just a health initiative, it's a national movement that calls on every South African to do their bit. By getting tested, supporting those on their TB journey, and participating in community outreach, South Africans can collectively work towards making TB history. 

Join the movement today and help South Africa reach its goal of testing five million people. Together, we can stop TB in its tracks. The call to action is: Find TB. Treat TB. End TB.