The number of people with extreme-drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has more than quadrupled in the Western Cape in the past three months, provincial health department figures show.
Also, the Brooklyn Chest TB Hospital has no room for more patients. It has 22 beds in the isolation wards to treat XDR-TB cases.
This comes as the City of Cape Town has drawn up contingency plans in the event of an XDR-TB outbreak.
It has killed 290 patients nationwide
Since World TB Day in March, 45 XDR-TB cases have been notified in the province. Eight people have died, according to department figures. In March, there were 10 known XDR-TB cases in the province.
XDR-TB, which withstands first-and second-line antibiotic treatment, is almost impossible to treat. It has killed 290 patients nationwide.
Department spokesperson Faiza Steyn said most patients with XDR-TB were admitted as quickly as possible to Brooklyn.
“At times, patients do have to wait for a bed at Brooklyn Chest Hospital,” Steyn said.
Some patients were treated in side wards at the hospital, while the rest were in isolation at prisons in the province, she said.
Treatment was provided for everyone who needed it.
City health director Ivan Toms said the department and clinics had implemented steps to reduce the health risk of TB and XDR-TB.
“These include clinic designs to separate waiting areas for TB clients, ensuring good airflow in TB areas, providing masks to coughing TB patients, and respirators for all staff in the TB area,” he said.
“Apart from City Health’s excellent progress in reducing the defaulter rate and increasing the cure rate, we have implemented steps to reduce the health risk of TB as well as XDR-TB,” said Toms.
He said in the last quarter, Cape Town achieved its best cure rate of 79 percent for TB.
XDR-TB statistics for SA show that there are 437 cases, with 290 patients having died. Most were in KwaZulu-Natal, where the outbreak started.
According to Karin Weyer, director of the TB Research Unit at the Medical Research Council, XDR-TB pointed to the failure of TB control. “We have to cure TB first time round and step up drug resistance surveillance now that XDR-TB has emerged.” - Cape Times
Also, the Brooklyn Chest TB Hospital has no room for more patients. It has 22 beds in the isolation wards to treat XDR-TB cases.
This comes as the City of Cape Town has drawn up contingency plans in the event of an XDR-TB outbreak.
It has killed 290 patients nationwide
Since World TB Day in March, 45 XDR-TB cases have been notified in the province. Eight people have died, according to department figures. In March, there were 10 known XDR-TB cases in the province.
XDR-TB, which withstands first-and second-line antibiotic treatment, is almost impossible to treat. It has killed 290 patients nationwide.
Department spokesperson Faiza Steyn said most patients with XDR-TB were admitted as quickly as possible to Brooklyn.
“At times, patients do have to wait for a bed at Brooklyn Chest Hospital,” Steyn said.
Some patients were treated in side wards at the hospital, while the rest were in isolation at prisons in the province, she said.
Treatment was provided for everyone who needed it.
City health director Ivan Toms said the department and clinics had implemented steps to reduce the health risk of TB and XDR-TB.
“These include clinic designs to separate waiting areas for TB clients, ensuring good airflow in TB areas, providing masks to coughing TB patients, and respirators for all staff in the TB area,” he said.
“Apart from City Health’s excellent progress in reducing the defaulter rate and increasing the cure rate, we have implemented steps to reduce the health risk of TB as well as XDR-TB,” said Toms.
He said in the last quarter, Cape Town achieved its best cure rate of 79 percent for TB.
XDR-TB statistics for SA show that there are 437 cases, with 290 patients having died. Most were in KwaZulu-Natal, where the outbreak started.
According to Karin Weyer, director of the TB Research Unit at the Medical Research Council, XDR-TB pointed to the failure of TB control. “We have to cure TB first time round and step up drug resistance surveillance now that XDR-TB has emerged.” - Cape Times
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