Published Date: 2007-10-02 14:00:10
Subject: PRO/EDR> Tuberculosis - Uganda: deadly strain, RFI
Archive Number: 20071002.3255

TUBERCULOSIS - UGANDA: DEADLY STRAIN, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Mon 1 Oct 2007
Source: AllAfrica New Vision (Kampala) report, [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200710010036.html>

A deadly strain of tuberculosis (TB) is on the increase in Uganda,
the Uganda National Association of Nurses and Midwives has warned.
Janet Obuni, the association's president, on Saturday [29 Sep 2007]
said each carrier of the drug-resistant disease [with active
pulmonary tuberculosis] was capable of infecting about 20 people in a
lifetime. "Without strict precautions, a bigger number of people will
be infected because this type of TB is dangerous as most of the
infected people stay with their families. The congestion in urban
area and other places may also add to the infection risks."
A medical staff at Mulago Hospital revealed that they had recorded 71
cases of the deadly TB strain. "So far, there is no clear medication
for the patients. The strain threatens to cause a global pandemic,
but in Uganda its magnitude is not yet established. "Other cases were
reported in Arua, Mbarara, Kabale, Mbale, and Soroti districts, Obuni
said. Addressing journalists in Entebbe, Obuni appealed to the
Government to intervene, [and reported that] 10 members of the
association from different districts returned from Kenya's capital,
Nairobi, where they were trained in methods of tackling the serious
disease. "Although we have received some training in the management
of multi-resistant TB from an international body, we still need the
Government to avail us drugs in order to check the disease before it
runs out of hand," Obuni said.
[Byline: Gladys Kalibbala]
--
Communicated by:
Coulibaly Sidi
<sidi_couly@yahoo.ca>
[The news release does not specify the exact identity of the strain,
although presumably it refers to an extremely drug-resistant (XDR)
strain. XDR tuberculosis has caused high mortality among HIV
co-infected patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. As mentioned in
previous ProMED-mail postings, XDR tuberculosis has now spread
throughout South Africa and probably into neighboring countries that
share borders and migrant work forces with South Africa. Uganda,
however, is separated by several countries from South Africa (see map
at <http://www.uyaphi.com/search/map/africa>.)
Genotyping analysis of XDR strains from KwaZulu-Natal revealed that
85 percent of the 46 isolates tested belonged to the KwaZulu-Natal
family of tuberculosis strains, which had been recognized in the
province for a decade
(<http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/356/7/656>). Whether cases
of XDR tuberculosis that occur outside of KwaZulu-Natal have this
genotype is not known. Further information on the 'deadly' strain in
Uganda would be appreciated. - Mod.ML]

See Also

Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (11): fugitives 20071002.3251
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (10): Western Cape 20070627.2071
Tuberculosis, XDR - worldwide (02) 20070623.2034
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (09): Western Cape 20070604.1805
Tuberculosis, XDR, airplane exposure - multicountry (03) 20070601.1778
Tuberculosis, XDR, airplane exposure - multicountry (USA, France,
Canada, Czech Rep.) 20070529.1738
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (08): Western Cape 20070425.1349
Tuberculosis, XDR, 2003-2006 - Europe (Germany, Italy) 20070403.1132
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (07): Eastern Cape 20070326.1044
Tuberculosis, XDR, 1993-2006 - USA 20070322.1005
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (06) 20070319.0959
Tuberculosis, XDR, 1991-2003 - Spain 20070302.0738
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (05) 20070228.0717
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (04) 20070220.0638
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (03) 20070209.0504
Tuberculosis, XDR - worldwide 20070205.0456
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa (02) 20070128.0375
Tuberculosis, XDR - South Africa: interventions 20070126.0349
...................................ml/mj/mpp
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