Risk of Tuberculosis outbreak real

The risk of a major Tuberculosis (TB) outbreak is facing St Vincent and the Grenadines, some medical personnel here believe.

They claim that health officials are not taking the necessary precautions prescribed to help control the spread of the deadly and highly contagious disease.{{more}}

SEARCHLIGHT understands that cases of TB are being treated in the private rooms on the male medical wards, a situation that falls way below the recommended standard TB care.

“The doctors and nurses are pretty upset,” one health worker said.

Our source indicates that what is needed is a treatment facility, with unidirectional flow of air that could properly isolate the patients.

Two weeks ago, doctors treated one patient each day for three days and they have had several cases for the year. They are now concerned that this country could find itself on the verge of an outbreak if the proper procedures aren’t put in place.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that a complaint was made to the Ministry of Health but no definite plan has yet been put in place to deal with the situation.

Chief Medical Officer Dr St Clair Thomas was out of state up to press time and several efforts to contact Dr Roger Duncan, who is acting in his stead proved futile.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on the matter, veteran epidemiologist Dr Gideon Cordice said that if this is indeed the condition in which TB is being treated in St Vincent and the Grenadines he is “very worried.”

“That type of set up isn’t sufficient, it is opening up a serious risk,” Dr Cordice, a doctor of 62 years experience said.

TB was previously treated at the public works building in Arnos Vale and was later moved to site of the nursing school compound at Largo Height.

Dr Cordice believes that a similar setting needs to be put in place.

TB is a common and deadly infectious disease that is caused by mycobacteria, primarily Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis most commonly affects the lungs (as pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, bones, joints and even the skin.

Over one-third of the world’s population now has the TB bacterium in their bodies and new infections are occurring at a rate of one per second.

In 2004, 14.6 million people had active TB and there were 8.9 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. In addition, a rising number of people in the developed world are contracting tuberculosis because their immune systems are compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse or HIV/AIDS.

The rise in HIV infection levels and the neglect of TB control programmes have enabled a resurgence of tuberculosis around the world. Drug-resistant strains of TB have emerged and are spreading.