Summary The physical, psychological, social and economic burden of TB on the patient before, during and even after TB treatment is significant. Routine screening and effective management of comorbid depression and anxiety in TB patients should be incorporated into TB programmes using a more holistic approach to TB care. Integrating psycho-socio-economic support interventions can add significant value to TB control through improvements in treatment success rates and reductions in
To address the historical inequalities in the quality of primary health care services and to lay a strong foundation for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), the Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenance (ICRM) programme was established in 2015. The ICRM program implementation will hopefully improve the South African health system's performance in managing priority infectious diseases (e.g HIV, TB) and non-communicable diseases (e.g diabetes, hypertension). This health
South Africa is experiencing a dual TB/HIV epidemic. Approximately 360 000 South African had TB in 2019. TB is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV. Of the 58 000 people who died from TB in South Africa, 36 000 were diagnosed with HIV. With the launch of the 2017-2022 National Strategic PLan (NSP), the South African government aims to eliminate TB by 2030. As an organisation working at the intersection of health economics and epidemiology, HE²RO aims to work towards
In September 2016, South Africa began the implementation of WHO’s Universal Test and Treat (UTT) policy in hopes of reaching the 90-90-90 targets by 2020 and reducing HIV- related morbidity, mortality and HIV transmission rates.1,3 Although 3.8 million HIV positive patients are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) (March 2017), over 2 million patients will have to be enrolled on HIV treatment for South Africa to reach the 90% on ART target.1,4 While the Department of Health
The First International Post-Tuberculosis Symposium was held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on July 22–23, 2019, to discuss priorities and gaps that need to be addressed in order to provide guidance in this neglected area. The symposium involved 68 delegates across 12 disciplines from five continents, representing more than 27 institutions. Historically, inconsistency and lack of consensus in nomenclature and terminology have hampered work in this field. Using the Delphi process, the
HE2RO staff Dr Gesine Meyer-Rath and Calvin Chiu were instrumental in the analysis behind the South African HIV and TB Investment Case for which results have just been finalized. The Investment Case is an analytical exercise by the South African Department of Health, SANAC and UNAIDS to establish the most cost effective mix of interventions against both HIV and TB over the next twenty years. Results for Phase 1 of the Investment Case were discussed in a satellite session, during the 7th South
Abstract Background: Very high rates of patient attrition from HIV care between HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation have been documented in sub-Saharan Africa. Accelerating the steps required for ART initiation has been proposed to reduce attrition and achieve earlier treatment initiation. Methods: The RapIT study evaluated the effect of immediate ART initiation on ART uptake and retention in a COJ clinic and hospital. Non-pregnant adults receiving a positive HIV test or
