Issued by Department of Health
4 September 2006
The Department of Health is working round-the-clock to address the problem of the tuberculosis strain – called the extremely drug resistance (XDR) TB – that has been discovered in KwaZulu-Natal.
This strain has resistance to all first-level drugs (ordinary treatment given to TB patients) and it also has resistance to 2 of the 5 major classes of the second-level drugs used to treat patients with multi-drug-resistant (MDR).
The Department of Health is extremely concerned about multi drug resistance (MDR) in TB and particularly the extremely second line drug resistance (XDR) in TB and is considering measures to prevent and manage it.
The Department is looking at the feasibility of getting 2 more drugs, which are currently not in the country, to be used as alternatives for patients with XDR TB.
The Department has put surveillance systems in place to monitor the magnitude of the problem of the XDR TB and monitor the trends in KwaZulu-Natal. Plans are also being made to extend surveillance systems to other provinces.
The Department of Health is also working closely with scientists like Professor Willem Sturm from the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal to address the problem.
Government spends R400 for treating every patient with ordinary TB. When the patients default treatment and develop a multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB, the cost of treatment dramatically increases to R24 000, which includes hospitalization and more expensive drugs. The solution to this problem is to prevent the development of such resistant strains by ensuring that people are treated properly right from the beginning and that they complete treatment.
The Department developed and launched a TB Crisis Management Plan in March this year, to reverse the tide of the TB crisis in the country. The Plan has identified 4 districts in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng as having high rates of MDR TB. The XDR strain is said to be more prevalent in regions with high rates of MDR TB.
The Department of Health has also committed an extra R36 million to address the crisis in these three provinces, caused by poor adherence to TB treatment, among others things.
Contact: Charity Bhengu 083 679 7424
NOTE: WHO/MRC/CDC has organized a meeting to be attended by international TB scientists and experts to help address the XDR TB strain. The meeting will be held at Sunnyside Park Hotel, Parktown this Thursday.