A spotlight on the tuberculosis epidemic in South Africa
Valerie Mizrahi, L Martinez, B Bloom, R Hunter, N Dhar, J Mckinney, G Manina, S Mishra, K Saito, V Dartois, E Rubin, R Mishra, J Sollier, C Scanga, J Flynn, H Gideon, C Martin, S Auld, E Kendall, S Shrestha, D Dowdy, S Moyo, C Nathan, T Scriba, R Dinkele, D Warner, V Mizrahi, S Zaidi, P Lin, J Flynn, R Dinkele, M Kamariza, S Dorman, N Ndjeka, D Tait, E Nemes, E Nemes, P Darrah, Y Liu, C The, Q Liu, K Winkler, V Mizrahi, D Warner, T De Wet, B Bosch, B Aldridge
Abstract
Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with over 25% of these occurring in the African region. Multi-drug resistant strains which do not respond to first-line antibiotics continue to emerge, putting at risk numerous public health strategies which aim to reduce incidence and mortality. Here, we speak with Professor Valerie Mizrahi, world-leading researcher and former director of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town, regarding the tuberculosis burden in South Africa. We discuss the challenges faced by researchers, the lessons that need to be learnt and current innovations to better understand the overall response required to accelerate progress.