NEWS: Preventing TB requires community approach

Preventing TB requires community approach

Monday, March 30, 2009 from MONITOR ONLINE

Tuberculosis is trasmitted by airborne bacteria. For every single case that is successfully treated, 10 to 15 new infections are prevented. With an estimated 80,000 new tuberculosis infections occurring annually and yet only 42,000 get registered for healthcare, the threat of TB in Uganda cannot be under estimated.

And those who get identified and started on treatment, on average, lose four months of income because they will be incapacitated to work. According to Dr Francis Adatu, the National TB and Leprosy Programme Manager at the Ministry of Health, the economic burden to the family becomes “too much” especially if the patient is the main bread winner.

The World Health Organisation defines Tuberculosis (TB) as an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. And it is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease.

But in healthy people, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis often causes no symptoms, since the person’s immune system acts to “wall off” the bacteria.

With only 50 per cent of the cases being identified, Dr Adatu says this should not be happening for a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable.

“The problem is that some people look at TB as a purely medical problem. This is not the case; it belongs to the community and efforts to contain or prevent it should greatly involve the communities,” says Adatu.

“Let them start with their own homesteads. Anyone in a homestead who has had a cough lasting for two weeks or more and not responding to ordinary treatment, should be supported to go for a check up to rule out TB.”

He adds that for every single case, that is successfully treated, 10 to 15 new infections are prevented.

Although drugs to cure the disease have been available for over 50 years, the emergence of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extremely drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has complicated treatment and control of the disease.

While the current vaccine BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) can protect children against the severe form of the disease, it cannot help adults. However, there are some WHO approved strategies that can help adults guard against infection. These include hospitalisation of patients suffering from tuberculosis and treating them effectively until the chances of them spreading the disease become negligible.

It is also advisable to avoid enclosed congested places with poor ventilation. For the HIV positive, preventive treatment can be got from healthcare providers. And family and friends need to minimise contact or take precaution when visiting patients on the first two weeks of treatment.

None-the-less, it helps a great deal if one concentrates on building immunity, staying healthy, eating well, and exercising regularly to prevent getting infected by tuberculosis or any other disease condition.