REFILWE MEKOA
Good news and bad news for Free State residents.
The MEC of Health, Benny Malakoane, says HIV/AIDS statistics are declining in the province though TB and other respiratory illnesses are rising. He spoke to different NGOs that deal with both ilnesses in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
“TB’s incidents are increasingly worrying. This is a challenge that we should intensify our campaigns even more. We need to prevent the illness from increasing because it definitely would if nothing is done about it. That’s why we have started a campaign last week when we were screening all government officials,” he says.
Malakoane says they are in talks with South African National Council (Sanc) to start screening people at taxi ranks including taxi drivers. “We are going to involve other governmental departments for them to be screened and tested,” he says.
Malakoane says TB is an age-old disease that is curable and people should not unnecessarily be dying as result of the sickness.
