TB/HIV Care and MEC for Health celebrate new machine expected to find 1000 additional new TB patients within the year

27 September 2011

From left: KZN MEC for Health, Dr Dlomo and Director, Prof Harry Hausler, dance on stage
at the handover of the GeneXpert to Pholela Community Health Centre.

The 27th September 2011 saw the beginning of a new era in TB diagnosis for the Sisonke District when the first of 5 GeneXpert machines was handed over to the Pholela Community Health Centre in a vibrant ceremony hosted by TB/HIV Care Association and the Department of Health.

The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, was present to cut the ribbon of the first Sisonke GeneXpert and perform its maiden TB test. These machines, funded by TB Reach, PEPFAR and the National Health Laboratory Services, promise to cut the time to get a TB test result from up to 6 weeks to under 2 hours, and to diagnose drug-resistant TB within the same period.

The importance of this for the Sisonke District was illustrated by the high turnout of community members and dignitaries at the handover event. The rate of co-infection of TB and HIV in Sisonke is high, and since it is notoriously difficult to diagnose TB in people living with HIV, previously many thousands of culture TB tests, taking at least 6 weeks per test, had to be performed in laboratories in these areas. Before the arrival of the GeneXpert machine, Pholela Health Clinic had to send its samples to a laboratory two hours drive away in a different district, prolonging the testing process even further.

Now, with the quicker diagnosis offered by the GeneXpert machines, it is estimated that more than 1000 additional TB patients could be found and started on TB treatment than would otherwise have been diagnosed in the Sisonke district, and this within a year.

Spume Zondi from the NHLS scans a cartridge containing a sputum sample destined for the GeneXpert.	A cartridge containing a sputum sample is inserted into the GeneXpert machine.	The KZN MEC for Health listens to Prof Harry Hausler of TB/HIV Care Association discuss the GeneXpert’s merits.

The hope this brings to the area was celebrated by the MEC for Health, who danced on stage, and was joined by a representative of Inkosi Dlamini and the Mayor of Ingwe in addressing the crowds. A team from Kick TB entertained the crowds with their soccer balls printed with TB symptoms, and a soccer team of amakhosi (traditional healers) played a quick but colourful match to illustrate their support for kicking TB and referring symptomatic clients to clinics.

The amakhosi get into the spirit of ‘kicking TB’ by playing soccer.

Prof Harry Hausler, the Director of TB/HIV Care Association summarised the importance of the day, “These GeneXpert machines mean we can find more people who are sick with TB. The more people with TB we can find, the more people we can treat and the more lives we can save!”.

References:
TB/HIV Care Association, www.tbhivcare.org, 021 425 0050