By PISAI GUMAR, The National
A TOTAL of 14 multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) patients in the Morobe province have also been diagnosed with the HIV-AIDS virus last year.
They are currently listed as undergoing the anti-retroviral drugs.
According to the 2010 World Health Organisation’s fourth quarter report, seven men and seven women were infected with TB bacilli and HIV-AIDS virus indicating the collaborative trend of two diseases each of them.
This is of critical concern to non-governmental partner organisations such as Medicines Sans Frontiers (doctors without borders), World Vision and WHO, which are assisting the health department to combat TB.
According to Morobe provincial WHO TB coordinator Sabina Waffi, TB cases detection in Morobe is rated the second below National Capital District while in South-West Pacific, Papua New Guinea had moved down from second to fourth placing.
The case detection rate was 108 persons per 100,000 people while treatment under the direct observe treatment (DOTS) coverage was 80% annually.
According to last year’s statistics, total TB cases detected were 2,148 while incidence rates stood at 272 persons per 10,000 people.
In Morobe, of the 32 suspect cases, nine contracted multi-drug resistance TB (pulmonary TB), or Market TB in Tok Pisin.
Six were on treatment while three died while awaiting sputum results from Australia.
Despite extra awareness and advocacy, unavailability of drug facilities and testing to check for the bacilli were major setbacks.
Current mini-laboratories available are only microscopic testing used for new smear positive (NSP) testing to verify sputum results only.
A TOTAL of 14 multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) patients in the Morobe province have also been diagnosed with the HIV-AIDS virus last year.
They are currently listed as undergoing the anti-retroviral drugs.
According to the 2010 World Health Organisation’s fourth quarter report, seven men and seven women were infected with TB bacilli and HIV-AIDS virus indicating the collaborative trend of two diseases each of them.
This is of critical concern to non-governmental partner organisations such as Medicines Sans Frontiers (doctors without borders), World Vision and WHO, which are assisting the health department to combat TB.
According to Morobe provincial WHO TB coordinator Sabina Waffi, TB cases detection in Morobe is rated the second below National Capital District while in South-West Pacific, Papua New Guinea had moved down from second to fourth placing.
The case detection rate was 108 persons per 100,000 people while treatment under the direct observe treatment (DOTS) coverage was 80% annually.
According to last year’s statistics, total TB cases detected were 2,148 while incidence rates stood at 272 persons per 10,000 people.
In Morobe, of the 32 suspect cases, nine contracted multi-drug resistance TB (pulmonary TB), or Market TB in Tok Pisin.
Six were on treatment while three died while awaiting sputum results from Australia.
Despite extra awareness and advocacy, unavailability of drug facilities and testing to check for the bacilli were major setbacks.
Current mini-laboratories available are only microscopic testing used for new smear positive (NSP) testing to verify sputum results only.
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