Mozambique: Country Prepared to Prevent Spread of XDR-TB
By, Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo), February 9, 2007
The Mozambican authorities are taking measures to prevent the spread of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), Health Minister Ivo Garrido announced on Thursday.
The discovery of this new, and highly dangerous, form of TB was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) last September. This type of the disease was first found in the southern African region in the locality of Tungela Ferry, in the South African province of Kwazulu-Natal.
MDR-TB (Multidrug Resistant TB) was known prior to last September, and the term describes strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to at least the two main first-line TB drugs - isoniazid and rifampicin. But XDR-TB is resistant not only to these drugs, but also to three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs.
WHO warns that "Given the underlying HIV epidemic, drug-resistant TB could have a severe impact on mortality in Africa and requires urgent preventative action".
Speaking to reporters during a meeting of his Ministry's Hospital Council, Garrido said that Mozambique has participated in various meetings on the subject, and is drawing up strategies to prevent contamination, since both Mozambicans and South Africans are constantly travelling between their two countries.
Garrido said that two senior officials of the national tuberculosis programme are currently taking part in a workshop in South Africa to discuss XDR-TB.
Garrido noted that patients with tuberculosis, associated with HIV/AIDS, have shown resistance to all medication.
"In a group of 100 patients under treatment for tuberculosis, between four and five are resistant. This disease can be treated, what happens is that the patient can contaminate other people", he explained.
Treatment of XDR-TB implies returning to some drugs that had been abandoned because were found to be extremely toxic, said Garrido.
According to WHO, XDR-TB has been identified in all regions of the world but is most frequent in the countries of the former Soviet Union and in Asia.
The Kwazulu-Natal outbreak, WHO says, was characterised by "alarmingly high mortality rates". 52 of the 53 patients with this strain of TB died, on average 25 days after diagnosis. 44 of them had been tested for HIV, and all were positive. Anti- retroviral drugs proved no defence against XDR-TB.
Meanwhile reports given to the Hospital Council suggest that HIV/AIDS is now the main cause of mortality in hospitals throughout the country.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200702090751.html
The Mozambican authorities are taking measures to prevent the spread of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), Health Minister Ivo Garrido announced on Thursday.
The discovery of this new, and highly dangerous, form of TB was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) last September. This type of the disease was first found in the southern African region in the locality of Tungela Ferry, in the South African province of Kwazulu-Natal.
MDR-TB (Multidrug Resistant TB) was known prior to last September, and the term describes strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to at least the two main first-line TB drugs - isoniazid and rifampicin. But XDR-TB is resistant not only to these drugs, but also to three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs.
WHO warns that "Given the underlying HIV epidemic, drug-resistant TB could have a severe impact on mortality in Africa and requires urgent preventative action".
Speaking to reporters during a meeting of his Ministry's Hospital Council, Garrido said that Mozambique has participated in various meetings on the subject, and is drawing up strategies to prevent contamination, since both Mozambicans and South Africans are constantly travelling between their two countries.
Garrido said that two senior officials of the national tuberculosis programme are currently taking part in a workshop in South Africa to discuss XDR-TB.
Garrido noted that patients with tuberculosis, associated with HIV/AIDS, have shown resistance to all medication.
"In a group of 100 patients under treatment for tuberculosis, between four and five are resistant. This disease can be treated, what happens is that the patient can contaminate other people", he explained.
Treatment of XDR-TB implies returning to some drugs that had been abandoned because were found to be extremely toxic, said Garrido.
According to WHO, XDR-TB has been identified in all regions of the world but is most frequent in the countries of the former Soviet Union and in Asia.
The Kwazulu-Natal outbreak, WHO says, was characterised by "alarmingly high mortality rates". 52 of the 53 patients with this strain of TB died, on average 25 days after diagnosis. 44 of them had been tested for HIV, and all were positive. Anti- retroviral drugs proved no defence against XDR-TB.
Meanwhile reports given to the Hospital Council suggest that HIV/AIDS is now the main cause of mortality in hospitals throughout the country.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200702090751.html
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 11:25 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home