Health minister commits to ending TB

DURBAN - Health Minister Joe Phaahla has delivered the closing address at the seventh SA TB Conference in Durban.

Phaahla says the country has made significant strides in the fight against TB and HIV/Aids.

READ: Tuberculosis: Drug-defying global scourge

He adds it's important to change social behaviours and improve the socioeconomic conditions of South Africans.

Phaahla said, "we have made significant strides as already indicated by various report from this conference on by medical interventions as far as containment and treatment of TB and also HIV and AIDS, but we all acknowledge that there are major social problems that require non -biomedical solutions that relates to us being able to change our social behaviors but also some of those relating to improvements of socio-economic conditions of South Africans because if many people remain in crowded environments."

"Without access to proper ventilation and nutritious food and clean water, no matter how much progress we can make with biomedical interventions we will not be able to reach our 2030 goals."