Issued by Department of Health
27 March 2008
A KwaZulu-Natal sub-district that reported first cases of extensive drug resistant TB in South Africa has achieved a zero percent treatment defaulter rate, reducing chances of further development of drug resistant TB in the area.
The sub-district is uMsinga which includes Tugela Ferry and Church of Scotland Hospital where first cases of XDR TB were discovered in 2006.
The reduction in defaulter rate is one of the achievements of the National TB Control Programme that are expected to be highlighted by the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang at the national event to mark the World TB day at Dannie Kuys Stadium, in Upington, Siyanda District, Northern Cape tomorrow (March 28). Northern Cape Premier, Dipuo Peters and Health MECs are other dignitaries that will address the event.
Most of the patients develop drug resistant TB because they previously defaulted on TB treatment.
All provinces have established TB treatment tracer teams which are composed of nurses and community health workers to follow-up patients that default treatment. These teams visit homes to find patients so that they can be put back on treatment.
Minister Tshabalala-Msimang will use this occasion to announce the allocation of an additional R33 million that is being allocated to launch the TB Treatment Defaulter Tracing programme to further decrease the defaulter rate in line with the announcement made in the President's State of the Nation Address this year. These funds are being used to deploy an additional 72 teams in sub-districts nationwide which have poor TB treatment outcomes.
"These teams are going to assist us in addressing the challenge of adherence to prescribed treatment. This challenge leads to the development of multiple and extremely drug resistant TB which are our biggest challenges. If we improve TB treatment outcomes, drug resistant TB should decrease," said Minister Tshabalala-Msimang.
In some of the sub-districts in which the defaulter tracing teams have been deployed have already reported some successes. By February, an average of 86% of the defaulters in these sub-districts were traced and 53% were started on treatment.
An additional R400 million has also been allocated to strengthen the response to MDR and XDR TB including improvement of facilities where patients with drug resistant strain of TB are hospitalised. Amongst other things, these resources are going to be used to ensure that the facilities are as hospitable as possible to ensure that patient remain at these facilities until they become non-infectious.
Contact: Sibani Mngadi @ 0827720161