1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. South Africa

HIV-positive people can overcome TB - Health Minister

South African Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said there was no need for anyone to die of tuberculosis, regardless of their HIV status.

Although TB was one of the most common opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS, it could be cured even in HIV-positive people, the minister said on 24 March, World TB Day.

She pointed out that free and effective treatment and testing for TB was available to all South Africans.

Tshabalala-Msimang was quoted by a local newspaper, The Mercury, as saying: "However, we can only help the patients and their families and communities if they come for testing and take their medication."


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join