Drought could compound TB crisis
29 November 2015
Today, the Global TB Caucus of Parliamentarians begins its 2nd Global TB Summit in Cape Town. Last year the Caucus, which is co-chaired by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, announced the historic Barcelona Declaration which facilitated a response to the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic amongst parliamentarians across the globe. The DA’s Shadow Minister of Health, Dr Wilmot James MP, will be also be attending this year’s Summit to help ensure that there is a broad and valuable representation of political views.
The current drought has the potential to compound an already existing TB crisis by driving crop failure, resulting in an increase in malnutrition due to food insecurity. Our country is already struggling to cope with malnutrition - according to the most recent Annual Report of the National Department of Health, for example, the child (under-5) severe acute malnutrition case fatality rate was an unacceptably high 11.6% in 2014/2015.
Additionally, as the drought results in a scarcity of resources in rural and remote areas, there will most likely be a migration to cities. This rapid urbanisation would result in an increase in population density. As overcrowding is one of the main risk factors of the TB, the outcome would be a rapid spread of the disease.
Global action, such as that of the Caucus, can help to bring attention to local TB challenges faced by co-operating countries. In South Africa, an important example of this would be the need to mitigate the impact of the drought we are currently experiencing on the spread of TB.
The government's response to the drought crisis has been woefully inadequate. One of the consequences of this is a potential set-back in the fight against TB.
TB is one of our country’s most devastating public health challenges, and its control has long been a target of government’s health strategies. However, a water security crisis compounded by the drought could hamstring these initiatives.
An increase in malnutrition would weaken the immune systems of already vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly. This, in turn, could result in an increase in the spread of TB amongst the general population.
In light of the above, I will undertake to write a letter to the Minister of Health asking him to ensure:
1. The inclusion, in future meetings of the Global TB Caucus, of a working stream relating to environmental health, climate change and TB.
2. The urgent establishment of the planned National Health Commission, which, in its first step on analysing the social determinants of health, should report on how to address TB in the context of the drought.
3. The call for a special meeting of the Ministerial Cluster on Social Protection, Community and Human Development to develop a co-ordinate approach to the impact of the drought (and other environmental risks) on public health challenges such as TB.
Proactive and co-ordinated action is imperative if we are to protect the health, and lives, of South Africans from this deadly disease. To this end, the DA will be resolute in its contribution to the fight against TB.
Statement issued by Heinrich Volmink MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Health
