People of the world have come together and rallied behind the United Nations’ SDGs, a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. SDG 3, Good health and Well-being, seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all and at all ages.

Furthermore, SDG target 3.3 refers to “ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis…..”. SDG 3 supports the ILO’s recommendation concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, 2010 (No.200), and the WHO End TB Strategy. These epidemics affecting South Africa and its workers negatively warrant specific focus within the NIOH.

South Africa is one of the countries with the highest burden of HIV and TB. UNAIDS 2016 reported in 2015 that 36.7 million people lived with HIV globally, of which about 7 million were in South Africa. WHO estimates that almost 1% (454,000 of South Africans had TB, and that the incidence rate for TB was 834 per 100,000 in South Africa, with a TB and HIV co-infection rate of about 57%.

The NIOH’s HIV TB in the Workplace Unit therefore plays a pivotal role, not only in contributing towards the well-being of workers through HIV and TB workplace interventions, but also by contributing towards the country’s targets of reducing both HIV and TB in the formal and informal economies.

Services

Objective Of The Unit

To conduct Research, Teaching & Training and Provide Advisory Support Services in the workplace on:

• Tuberculosis
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• Occupational Health Policy & Systems and Programmes

Main Target Occupational Groups

• Health Workers
• Mine Workers
• Construction Workers
• Municipality Workers
• Informal Economy Workers
• Agricultural Workers

Main Partners / Collaborators

• Government National & Provincial (DOH; DOL; DMR & DPSA)
• Mining Industry Stakeholders
• Construction Industry Stakeholder
• Development Partners (ILO & WHO)
• Trade Unions
• Local & International Universities

Teaching & Training

The Unit coordinates the Diploma in Occupational Health and Medicine (DOMH), and teaches occupational health to undergraduate and postgraduate students on behalf of the School of Health Systems and Public Health, UP. The Unit provides occupational health teaching and training to MPH students at the Walter Sisulu University in Umthatha. The Unit was a rotation site for practical training for three public health medicine registrars from the universities of Limpopo and Pretoria.

• Academic – Undergraduate & Postgraduate (Occupational Medicine & Health UP & WSU)
• In-service Training (HIV TB & Silicosis)
  • Policy
  • Programmes
  • Monitoring & evaluation
  • Surveillance

For more Information about HIV TB in the Workplace Unit, contact:

Head of Workplace HIV TB
Prof Muzimkhulu Zungu
Tel: 011 712 6456
Email: muzimkhuluz@nioh.ac.za

General Enquiries
Mr Jonathan Ramodike
Tel: 011 712 6626
Email: jonathanr@nioh.ac.za