Health on tuberculosis in KwaZulu-Natal

4 September 2006

The Department of Health is working round-the-clock to address the problem
of the tuberculosis strain, called the extremely drug resistant TB, which 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 two of the five major
classes of the second-level drugs used to treat patients with
multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB. The Department of Health is extremely concerned
about multi drug resistance 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 two 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 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
hospitalisation 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 four 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.

Note: The World Health Organisation (WHO), Medical Research Council (MRC)
and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has organised 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.

Contact:
Charity Bhengu
Cell: 083 679 7424

Issued by: Department of Health
4 September 2006