The World Health Organization (WHO) has set 2025 as a crucial milestone in the End TB Strategy. The National Development Plan (NDP) also envisions the end of TB by 2030 therefore 2024 is a significant year to track and accelerate progress to end TB.
Notably, there have been good advancements and developments in aiding the call of closing gaps in TB classification, yet challenges still remain. Under the theme Accelerating progress to end TB, the conference scientific committee has put together a comprehensive programme that will provide an opportunity to learn and receive a renewed sense of purpose and recommitment to effectively addressing the TB burden in South Africa.
The SAMRC is present at the 8th TB conference. The SAMRC exhibition, located at stand 46 in the exhibition hall allows participants to creatively illustrate a picture of a more effective, coordinated response to TB. Joining this engagement are the Office of Aids & TB(OATB), the Tuberculosis platform and the Centre for Tuberculosis. These research units, through a take-home brochure and engagements with other delegates, are providing key points that describe the work being done by the SAMRC as far as TB research is concerned.
The OATB works towards the alignment of interests of stakeholders around a focus on outcomes with the costs of public services being reduced through increased competition, freedom in service design, and private sector contribution; implementation of health research effectively and efficiently; generating new knowledge in the field of impact investing and its translation into policy and practice.
The Centre for Tuberculosis functions to understand the burden of TB disease and contribute to policy through high-quality fundamental and translational research and training of postgraduate students.
The TB Platform aims to produce knowledge of TB epidemiology and to improve on current tools and practices for TB prevention, diagnosis and effects of treatment.
Collectively the realisation of a lived reality without TB is possible. Engagements that convene to map out the prospect of this reality are important for the health of South Africans.