On Monday at 13:00, Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament will voluntarily get tested for HIV and TB in order to boost awareness.

It is important that as public representatives we lead by example and encourage residents to join our whole-of-society approach in combatting these diseases which still adversely impact our communities.

This initiative follows a resolution in today’s Ad-hoc Standing Committee on TB meeting, in which the Global TB Caucus, South African National Aids Council (SANAC) and the provincial Department of Health and Wellness gave their input on the current status of TB.

The Standing Committee now has the necessary information it needs to finalise its terms of reference and programme for the coming year.

As with other provinces, TB is an endemic disease in the Western Cape. In the first half of this year, almost 23 000 people were affected and has subsequently taken the lives of around 9% of those diagnosed in this period.

Furthermore, we now know of the immense impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the Western Cape's ability to diagnose patients. Between the first and fourth wave of the pandemic, the rate of diagnosing new cases decreased by 76-83% per day in comparison to those in previous years.

While these rates are now recovering, we need to continue tackling this disease and build on our efforts so that we can further protect our residents.

 

Issued by Wendy Kaizer-Philander, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Health