South Africa's HIV/AIDS pandemic has led to a major rise in the rate of tuberculosis infection, with 300,000 new cases recorded last year, the government said on Friday.
"We recorded about 300,000 new cases of TB last year, and most of the affected are people in the most productive age groups," said Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang at a meeting with business representatives.
"A TB patient can lose an average of three to four months of work time, which translates to between 20 and 30 percent of the patient's annual income lost due to lost earnings. And about 15 years of income is lost due to premature death."
The minister said in a report there had been a "significant increase in the number of cases (of tuberculosis) reported over the past eight years", and cited the country's HIV/AIDS pandemic as one of the main factors.
The South African Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS said in a statement it would be "logical" for the government to address the tuberculosis problem as part of its strategy to fight AIDS, stressing the "close link" between the diseases.
"TB is also the business of business. TB is the biggest threat in our country today," said Peter Mehlape, general manager of medical technology company BD Medical South Africa.
The government says 5.54 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS, which destroys the body's resistance to disease, in South Africa.
