Western Cape ramps up TB testing as 84% of patients start treatment within a week

Between April and August 2026, 84% of approximately 17,100 people who started TB treatment in the Western Cape began treatment within seven days of diagnosis. The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness recorded its highest-ever monthly TB testing figure in March 2026, with over 50,000 people tested. In the first five months of the 2026/27 financial year, more than 205,600 TB tests were conducted, nearly 70% of the total tests in all of 2023. These efforts aim to find TB earlier and link patients to treatment promptly.

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