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Epidemic Hazard - Africa
Event summary
GLIDE Number EH-20060910-7537-ZAF
Event type Epidemic Hazard Date / time [UTC] 10/09/2006 - 14:31:49 (Military Time, UTC)
Country South Africa Area -
County / State KwaZulu-Natal State City -
Cause of event Unknow Log date 10/09/2006 - 14:31:49 (Military Time, UTC)
Damage level Large Time left -
Latitude: S 29? 0.000 Longitude: E 30? 0.000
Number of deaths: Not or Not data Number of injured persons: Not or Not data
Evacuated: - Infected 53
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DESCRIPTION
The extremely virulent form of tuberculosis that killed 52 out of 53 people at a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, is just the "tip of the iceberg" in southern Africa, scientists have warned. What makes this strain of TB so lethal is that unlike normal TB, XDR TB can infect even the healthiest of people. But healthy people are more likely to be able to fight off the disease, while those who have compromised immune systems, will die within a month. The discovery of the strain at just one small hospital in Tugela Ferry forms a sixth of the world's known XDR TB cases. The lethal strain is untreatable and kills the victim in less than a month.
South Africa will launch a survey of 10 affected hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal within two weeks, but scientists say national surveys are needed. Tuberculosis is airborne and stays in the air for four hours after an infected person leaves the room. Experts flew in for an emergency international conference in Johannesburg this week. They came from World Health Organisation offices in Europe, the Centres for Disease Control in the US and all of the Southern African Development Community countries, except Zimbabwe. However, there was not a single representative of South Africa's National Department of Health present, reportedly under orders from Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala Msimang. Sources in her department claim she is furious that news of the extent of South Africa's XDR TB problem has leaked. Officials from her department have also phoned doctors at the 28 hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal which have or have had XDR TB-infected patients, and warned them not to speak to the media or to allow them onto their premises or to take photographs - or risk losing their jobs.
Situation Update No. 1 On 11.09.2006 at 05:38 GMT+2
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