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KZN to roll-out groundbreaking survey on XDR-TB
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KwaZulu-Natal health authorities are to roll out a world's first groundbreaking survey to gauge the spread of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) infections in the province. So far, 276 XDR-TB cases have been diagnosed in the province where 178 have died.
The Mosvold Hospital in the remote northern part of the province is one of five hospitals earmarked for the survey. Laboratory staff are being trained to cope with the caseload.
Sputum, matter that is coughed up from the respiratory tract, samples will be taken from all patients who might have contracted the infection. Their challenge is to test around 200 sputum samples every week to determine the type of bacteria and strain. The Church of Scotland Hospital in Msinga has up to now only focused on patients who showed resistance to drugs.
Need to identify infected patients
Health experts says the only way to bring this virus to a halt is to identify the patients as rapidly as possible, and then design a strategy in which you can prevent transmission occurring from one person to another - assuming the problem is the same as the Msinga district - then one can only contain it and never eradicate it. But tracing the infected patients and their closest contacts, remains a challenge.
Meanwhile, health authorities have warned that the stigma of TB is hindering its treatment. Sibongile Zungu, the head of the TB task team, says by the time people come to a health facility the progression of the illness is very far, and the reversal of the illness becomes quite difficult. The department has injected millions of rand into a joint mobilisation effort.
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa...137731,00.html
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</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>KZN health authorities are to roll out a groundbreaking survey to understand XDR-TB infections
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>November 02, 2006, 16:45KwaZulu-Natal health authorities are to roll out a world's first groundbreaking survey to gauge the spread of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) infections in the province. So far, 276 XDR-TB cases have been diagnosed in the province where 178 have died.
The Mosvold Hospital in the remote northern part of the province is one of five hospitals earmarked for the survey. Laboratory staff are being trained to cope with the caseload.
Sputum, matter that is coughed up from the respiratory tract, samples will be taken from all patients who might have contracted the infection. Their challenge is to test around 200 sputum samples every week to determine the type of bacteria and strain. The Church of Scotland Hospital in Msinga has up to now only focused on patients who showed resistance to drugs.
Need to identify infected patients
Health experts says the only way to bring this virus to a halt is to identify the patients as rapidly as possible, and then design a strategy in which you can prevent transmission occurring from one person to another - assuming the problem is the same as the Msinga district - then one can only contain it and never eradicate it. But tracing the infected patients and their closest contacts, remains a challenge.
Meanwhile, health authorities have warned that the stigma of TB is hindering its treatment. Sibongile Zungu, the head of the TB task team, says by the time people come to a health facility the progression of the illness is very far, and the reversal of the illness becomes quite difficult. The department has injected millions of rand into a joint mobilisation effort.
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa...137731,00.html