September 29, 2006

http://www.rense.com/general73/deadly.htm

Hello Jeff -- As feared, this super-deadly strain is spreading in South Africa. This is yet another example of WHY we need to close our borders to illegals. If this disease begins to spread via air travel, we may have to take a very unpopular stance and screen travelers medically for drug-resistant organisms. No, it won't be good for our economy or for tourism, however, think of the billions of dollars of damage these diseases - especially the new South African TB strain - can do to what's left of our economy...as well as our already overtaxed health care system.

 

At some point in time, a nation must draw the line and say "enough."

 

Patty

 

TUBERCULOSIS, MULTI-RESISTANT - SOUTH AFRICA (KWA-ZULU NATAL)

 

A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases

 

By Sarah McGregor

9-27-6

 

(Reuters) -- New cases of tuberculosis found in South Africa have raised fears there could be multiple versions of a highly drug resistant strain that has killed 62 people and threatens to spread across a region ravaged by AIDS.

 

Health officials said on Wed 27 Sep 2006 the 5 new cases were discovered in Gauteng, South Africa's premier economic region, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria. The discovery has stoked concerns that extremely drug resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, may be spreading further, complicating efforts to contain the deadly march of AIDS in the region.

 

Officials said the strain of TB found in Gauteng this week did not immediately match the one that has killed 62 people in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province over the past month.

 

"A preliminary report suggests they are not the same strain, but to say conclusively a laboratory has to do DNA testing that takes months," said Dr. Joe Khoali, TB adviser for the Gauteng Health Department.

 

"We are not sure if we're dealing with one or multiple strains," Khoali told Reuters.

 

Paul Nunn, coordinator of WHO's Stop TB Department said earlier this week XDR-TB could be present in other regions of Africa afflicted by HIV/AIDS but which lacked the capacity to find and diagnose the illness. "It isn't just an issue of a particular strain spreading," Nunn said. "It is an issue of (whether) there are outbreaks occurring that we don't know about. We feel it's quite possible."

 

Experts say XDR-TB has been seen worldwide, but the outbreak in South Africa is acute because of the high number of fatalities in an isolated area.

 

Nunn said a failure by South Africa to implement a robust infection control program to properly manage the disease, coupled with a high HIV infection rate, could have led to the current outbreak.

 

An estimated one in 9 of South Africa's 45 million people carry the virus, giving the nation one of the worst HIV rates in the world. Infection rates in neighboring countries like Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe are also high.

 

The outbreak of XDR-TB has coincided with raging controversy over South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's promotion of alternative AIDS remedies. The minister has enraged activists and many health experts by pushing "natural" HIV treatments such as beetroot and garlic while playing down anti-retroviral drugs. In local media interviews this week, Tshabalala-Msimang denied that she had ever held out these nutrition-based remedies as alternatives to anti-retroviral drugs.

 

ProMED-mail

 

It is important to note that it is not clearly stated that these newly diagnosed cases are multidrug resistant. Given the context, however, it is likely that they are resistant strains but may or may not be the same as the previously noted one. - Mod.LL

 

Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD

Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics

Univ of West Indies

 

Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message board at:

http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php

Also my new website:

http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/

Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa

Go with God and in Good Health