25/07/2025
The two-day TB Vaccine Preparedness Workshop (23-24 Juy) concluded today in Sandton, Johannesburg, with a keynote address by Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi. In closing the event, the Minister urged that the workshop mark the beginning of a new chapter: “Let this not be the end of a workshop, but the beginning of a new chapter where TB prevention through vaccination becomes the order of the day.”
Key outcomes from the workshop included:
- Commitment from the Department of Health to introduce, finance, and deliver a future TB vaccine in South Africa.
- A multisectoral task team will lead efforts across regulation, evidence generation, delivery, financing, and community trust-building.
- Community engagement was highlighted as a moral imperative for success.
- Vaccine readiness was emphasised, with the Minister stating, “We are morally obligated to prepare, so that when science delivers, our systems and our people are ready.”
Prof. Norbert Ndjeka, Chief Director for TB Control and Management at the National Department of Health, reaffirmed the Department's commitment to a robust, equitable, and integrated rollout strategy.
📖 Read Minister Motsoaledi’s full address here: https://lnkd.in/du-dN8T4