South Africa: Cape Health Acts Swiftly to Contain MDR-TB
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BuaNews (Tshwane)
24 April 2008
Posted to the web 24 April 2008
Gabi Khumalo
Cape Town
The City of Cape Town's Health Department has requested the removal of a learner infected by Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in an attempt to contain an outbreak.
Chairperson of the City's Health Portfolio Committee, Councillor James Vos said the City Health and provincial health department recently heard about a learner at the Edgemead High School who did not respond to treatment of MDR-TB.
"Although the risk of transmission at the school is considered as minimal, the city took decisive action to prevent transmission and create better awareness of the country's TB problem.
"On notification of the Edgemead learner's situation, City Health immediately visited the family and requested that the learner be removed from school until the disease had been brought under control," said Councillor Vos.
Furthermore, a team of nurses and doctors visited the school on Tuesday to answer any questions and also provided letters requesting consent for screening to the learners who shared the classroom with the pupil with MDR-TB.
"On Friday, a City Health team will screen classroom learners whose parents consent to such procedures; they will obtain samples for laboratory tests and liaise with individual learners and their families if any further steps are deemed necessary.
"At this stage nine concerned parents have contacted City Health and their concerns have been addressed but we do not expect that any learners or teachers have been infected," Councillor Vos explained.
Mr Vos warned that TB has an incubation period lasting many months and most of those infected would not become ill.
The best control was early diagnosis and treatment, he said.
"We nevertheless welcome this opportunity to create a better awareness of TB and its effective treatment in South Africa, let us spare a thought for the learner and his/her family and pray that the child recovers fully," Councillor Vos said.
According to Mr Vos, last year, 27 000 cases of TB were treated in Cape Town alone and since it was a curable disease, the city offers free diagnosis and treatment.
The TB treatment lasts between six and eight months.
However, Mr Vos said one of the challenges in the process was to get patients to complete the treatment as some stop their medication as soon as they feel better.
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This could result in a small percentage of cases developing MDR-TB, he said.
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