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| Africa Subsaharan |
| S Africa: 300+ cases of extensively drug-resistant TB |
| 2006-11-24 |
| More than 300 cases of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis have been confirmed across South Africa this year, the national health department said Thursday. The TB strain — called XDR-TB — is resistant to the main, first-line TB drugs and to three or more of the six second-line drugs, according to the World Health Organization. The patients "are in the hospitals, they are on treatment," said Dr. Lindiwe Mvusi, head of the health department's TB program, according to the South African Press Association. Some patients have died, Mvusi said, but could not say how many. The health department has recorded 263 cases in KwaZulu-Natal, including 53 diagnosed earlier this year when the strain was first identified. Fifty-two of those 53 initial patients have died. Several more patients have tested positive for the strain in other regions, Mvusi said, putting the total number of cases at 303. I blame |
| Posted by:.com |
| #5 The patients "are in the hospitals, they are on treatment," Until they feel a bit better, then they skip the rest of their antibiotic treatment, if they are even offered the remainder, and they head back home to give it to everybody else they love. They don't do it out of malice, they do it out of ignorance. Sort of like farm animals are pumped full of antibiotics in western countries. At least the cows are smart enough that they don't get up and leave in the middle though. :-) The only solution I can think of is to make treatment available only in western-run hospitals, and admission is a one-way ticket. Until the doctors are done with the patients, and not the other way around, nobody goes out the door vertically. No bribery, no nothing. Take a DNA-match child as collateral if you need to. No, I don't have a clue who's going to pay for this. |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-11-24 22:42 |
| #4 Agreed. I've a feeling this is gonna spread, not just through Africa, but into Asia. And for SpecOp35: it takes just one. Could come from Africa, but more likely India, Pakistan, Singapore, Dubai, Canada. Tell me how that's gonna get blocked, genius. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-11-24 22:09 |
| #3 Nope, that's not going to work. We live in a global world. XDR-TB is going to make its appearance in the western world -- already has in Eastern Europe. Just a matter of time. I may have to brush up my understanding of thoracoplasties. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-11-24 14:52 |
| #2 Good, may reduce their numbers. Stop all entrants from this cesspool into US, that's all I care about. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-11-24 13:58 |
| #1 With their infrastructure collapsing and a central government more interested in pursuing ANC objectives than its peoples' needs, it will get worse. Much worse. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-11-24 13:44 |