The global health initiative of the WEF and the Lilly MDR-TB partnership jointly launched the toolkit on Tuesday. The idea, according to a statement from the WEF, is to alleviate the burden and costs associated with absenteeism, disrupted workflow and reduced productivity.

"By engaging proactively with the community, which forms a key component of the overall business environment, businesses can offset the marginal cost of partnering with local stakeholders with the huge benefits they will reap through greater efficiency in the workplace and the good will in the community," the statement said.

South Africa, the WEF said, faces an emerging threat of TB/HIV co-infections and fatal drug-resistant strains of the disease. It pointed out that a staggering 70 percent of TB patients in South Africa are also infected with HIV, so the importance of an integrated approach to care is clear.

"It's a disturbing paradox to think that people should die from a curable disease like tuberculosis," said Shaloo Puri, head of the India business alliance, and an adviser to the global health initiative of the WEF. "The sooner South African businesses start awakening to the extent of the problem, the sooner they can understand the associated risks in the workforce and to their business."

The South African government has recognised the importance of engaging the private sector to achieve its TB case detection and treatment targets, the WEF said. Companies in South Africa have the opportunity to catalyse effective public-private partnerships to facilitate successful patient and programme management. This will eventually lessen the economic impact of TB, which leads to a decline in worker productivity estimated at $13-billion annually.

I-Net Bridge