SOUTH Africa will conduct a TB Prevalence Survey to establish the true burden of the disease and ultimately strengthen TB control in the country. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), South Africa ranks among the 22 high burden countries and contributes to about 80 per cent of the total global burden of all TB cases.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HRSC), Medical Research Council (MRC), and National institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) will conduct the survey.

The 2017 TB prevalence survey will be held nationally with a representative sample of approximately 55 000 adults identified, sampled from 110 population clusters, and will take about 24 months to complete.

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The survey started last month in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. The department said it has planned various social mobilisation activities intended to reach out to communities and encourage them to participate in the survey.

“Clearly identifiable fieldworkers will be deployed into selected areas to interview and collect data,” the department said.

According to the department, the nine provinces of South Africa have been divided into three, namely the ‘low’ (Gauteng and Limpopo), ‘medium’ (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Free State) and ‘high’ (Northern Cape, Western Cape, North West and Eastern Cape), based on prior beliefs of estimates for TB prevalence of 178 274 and 424 per 100 000, respectively.

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