Project profile — Analysis of the Impact of Tuberculosis in Mine-Workers' Communities of Origin

The expected immediate outcomes for this project include: (1) improved understanding of the impact of tuberculosis in the mining sector on communities in Southern Africa (Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe); and (2) improved knowledge, which includes identifying and costing, of interventions to address the challenge of tuberculosis in affected communities.

Results achieved as of the end of project (December 2014) include: (1) prepared analyses on the size, distribution and demographic profiles of the mining population in Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, focusing on miners that have worked in South Africa over the past 40 years, the disease risks and burden in this population and key challenges and opportunities; (2) identified opportunities for intervention, designed, and in some cases piloted to improve management of tuberculosis in both domestic and migrant miners and a potential model for establishing a one-stop shop integrated with a public health facility was designed and costed; (3) identified key sub-populations that warrant particular attention and programming in the response to TB and mining, including ex-miners, undocumented workers, and women and children. These have contributed to increased knowledge on the impact of tuberculosis in mine-workers communities of origin to ultimately reduce the spread of the disease.