TB diagnosis can be done in a number of ways, including an X-ray, but most commonly the standard method is the sputum test. Results from this test can be confirmed within 48 hours. If confirmation fails, a secondary test - a culture - will be obtained and analysed. This can take up to six weeks.

South Africa, particularly Western Cape, continues in the grip of tuberculosis. Each year it is estimated that 377 per 100 000 people are newly infected with TB throughout the country. In the Western Cape it is 559 per 100 000, almost double the rate of all new infections in South Africa. However, since the implementation of the revised National Tuberculosis Programme at provincial level, as recommended by the WHO, the Western Cape has made significant progress in curbing the high incidence of TB. Some health districts even boast of an 85 percent cure rate of all new cases, a goal set by the WHO. In this Sesotho audio report, we hear how one of these districts - South Peninsula - succeeded in treating and curing TB in its community.

The Daily Observed Treatment (DOTS) strategy is universally acknowledged as the standard treatment programme for TB by the World Health Organisation. It encourages a support system to ensure that the patient takes their medication on a regular basis. Once diagnosed with TB, a patient has to visit the nearest TB clinic every morning where they take their medicine under the watchful eye of a health worker so as to avoid patients skipping treatment.