5th SA TB Conference






Conference Chair



Dr Margot Uys

Theme : STEP UP - Let's embrace all to end TB!

For the last few centuries TB has caused millions of deaths. Over the last twenty years HIV, as terrible disease twin, accelerated both TB and HIVrelated morbidity and mortality amongst affected populations. Since the availability of ART treatment regimens for HIV and co-infected patients, dramatic progress has been made towards better TB treatment outcomes and elimination of HIV. The TB programme on its own has also made steady progress over the last decade resulting in the declaration of the WHO End TB Strategy of 2014 which was approved by the World Health Assembly and called for a 90% reduction in TB deaths, 80% reduction in the TB incidence rate by 2030, compared with 2015 and in addition a reduction of the number of households that experience catastrophic costs as a result of TB disease. Now, three years later, major advances in TB prevention and care have been made, especially in the six high burden countries (India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa) yet an accelerated approach is needed to end TB, despite above 80% treatment success rates for drug sensitive TB, to ensure a more dramatic annual decline in TB incidence and prevention of TB deaths. Furthermore multidrug-resistant TB with an estimated 480 000 cases worldwide and a treatment success rate of just over 50% requires focussed interventions and an aggressive roll-out of available new drug regimens. The introduction of the WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic test for detection of TB and rifampicin-resistant TB (Xpert MTB/RIF assay) paved the way for a new era of novel diagnostic methods, yet programmatic benefits and adaptations to cash in on the advantage of rapid diagnosis is still lagging behind. South Africa has become the leader in the introduction of INH preventive therapy for people living with HIV for latent TB infection. Leadership is also required in other fields affecting progress, i.e. TB research, universal access to care and treatment, continued and energetic efforts for TB/HIV integration and TB financing.

Join us in stepping up strategies and activities to end the TB epidemic once and for all in Durban from 12 to 15 June 2018.
We look forward to welcoming you there!