S.Africa death toll rises to 74 in deadly TB outbreak
Pastor Dale Morgan
*S.Africa death toll rises to 74 in deadly TB outbreak*
04 Oct 2006 16:07:27 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Sarah McGregor
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The death toll from a highly
drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis has risen to 74 in South Africa
and a health official on Wednesday predicted more casualties from the
deadly disease.
The death toll since January 2005 from extremely drug resistant
tuberculosis or XDR-TB jumped from a previous tally of 62 as new cases
were reported, health officials said.
Most of the XDR-TB cases have surfaced in the eastern KwaZulu- Natal
province but some cases reported in Gauteng, encompassing the business
centre of Johannesburg, have raised fears that XDR-TB could spread further.
Another concern has been the fast deterioration in patients, who usually
die between 16 and 25 days of being diagnosed.
"What concerns us the most is the constant findings that we have of more
cases," said Dr. Tony Moll, who first discovered the deadly strain at
the King George Hospital in the coastal city of Durban and is working
closely with health officials to try to contain the outbreak.
"They are coming in with a rapid progression toward death in spite of
treatment," Moll told Reuters.
Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal are isolating up to four new patients a month
in a bid to save lives and stop the disease spreading. However,
antibiotic treatments are largely proving ineffective, said Moll.
PUZZLED
XDR-TB patients are resistant to most, if not all, of the lines of
defensive treatment to fight tuberculosis -- a highly infectious lung
disease spread through coughing and sneezing which can usually be cured
through treatment.
An outbreak of the highly virulent TB strain in South Africa is
particularly vexing given the country's high HIV/AIDS infection rate --
among the highest in the world.
TB poses a serious risk to HIV-positive people as it thrives in weakened
immune systems. One in nine South Africans is infected with HIV.
Meanwhile, South African doctors are puzzled by the discovery of a
XDR-TB patient in KwaZulu Natal who beat the disease and is recuperating
at home.
One possible explanation for his recovery is that the HIV-positive man
was on immune boosting antiretrovirals which bolstered his ability to
fend off TB, said Moll.
He added it is important not to generalise from a single patient.
"It's the first and only case of someone doing very well. I'm not quite
sure how to interpret this," said Moll.
"Some people will get infected and be able to fight off the bug. Others
will develop active TB and it will lead to death."