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Everybody Breathes: Treating TB in Eshowe, South Africa

South Africa

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In South Africa, we respond to disease epidemics, non-communicable diseases, and assist migrants with access to healthcare.

In October 2023, in partnership with the Eastern Cape Department of Health, we launched a project to improve the identification and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Amathole District, which is MSF's first NCD project in South Africa.  We aim to apply lessons from two decades of working on HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa to enhance NCD care in rural settings.

We also work with undocumented people and migrants in Tshwane, where we run a project that provides access to vaccines for these underserved communities.

Having achieved the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target in 2018 in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, we redirected our approach to tackle the TB epidemic and reduce the number of cases in the area.

After 22 years of activities and campaigning, we closed our HIV and TB project in Khayelitsha, Western Cape in 2020.

Our activities in 2022 in South Africa

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2022.

MSF in South Africa in 2022 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) launched a major response when South Africa was hit by floods in 2022. We also maintained our HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programmes and migrant health project.
South Africa IAR map 2022

Flash flooding in parts of KwaZulu-Natal province in April caused hundreds of deaths, displaced over 40,000 people and severely damaged infrastructure, including water and sanitation services. MSF launched a substantial emergency response, comprising medical teams and water, sanitation and hygiene experts. We supported mobile clinics in affected communities with medical staff, and provided water storage and sanitation in shelters for displaced people. In addition, our geohydrologists implemented innovative techniques for improving water yield and quality from strategically drilled boreholes. 

In the city of Tshwane, where we run a migrant health project, our teams supported outreach healthcare services for marginalised people, such as those without documentation and drug users, including referrals to health facilities.  

In September 2022, after 22 years, our teams working on HIV/AIDS and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) in Khayelitsha handed all remaining activities over to authorities. We launched the project in a context of HIV/AIDS denialism at the highest levels of government, starting by working to improve methods to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease, and were soon allowed to expand our involvement to HIV treatment for people of all ages, as well as operational research. One of the project’s standout achievements was the integration of HIV and TB services in clinics. It also contributed to the improvement of DR-TB treatment and care, by demonstrating that it is possible to substitute toxic injectable antibiotics with newer and more effective oral drugs. 

Our project in Eshowe offered preventive treatment for TB – a medicine that reduces the risk that TB infection will progress to TB disease – through community health posts that were previously set up by MSF, adding to the existing TB, HIV and non-communicable diseases services that are already available at these conveniently located sites.

 

in 2022
 
South Africa

MSF responds to outbreaks of violence in Johannesburg

Project Update 20 May 2008
 
South Africa

MSF provides essential health care to Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa

Project Update 7 Apr 2008
 
Zimbabwe

Health of Zimbabwean migrants at risk after raid at Johannesburg Methodist Church

Press Release 5 Feb 2008
 
Tuberculosis

MSF presentation to the IGWG on the need for development of TB drugs and techniques

Interview 8 Nov 2007
 
Global

Coping with health worker shortages: lessons and limits

Project Update 24 May 2007
 
South Africa

Retaining health workers: the basics

Project Update 24 May 2007
 
HIV/AIDS

Help wanted: confronting the healthcare worker crisis to expand access to HIV/AIDS treatment

Report 18 May 2007
 
India

Church leaders call on Novartis to drop legal case in India

Project Update 16 Feb 2007
 
South Africa

The steady danger of stock-outs: MSF's experience accessing TDF in South Africa

Project Update 29 Nov 2006

Contact us

Bending the Curves - Eshowe HIV
MSF South Africa

7th Floor, Zurich House
70 Fox Street, Marshalltown
Johannesburg
South Africa