Poverty blamed for TB spread

from the Daily Nation

Story by MIKE MWANIKI

Poverty and poor nutrition are major factors fuelling the spread of tuberculosis in the country, health experts say.

Kenyatta National Hospital chief executive Jotham Micheni Tuesday said slum dwellers in Nairobi and other urban areas faced the highest risk and contribute 80 per cent of the total TB burden in the country.

Last year, 116,723 cases of TB were detected in Kenya compared to 115,234 in 2006, which was a seven per cent increase.

In 2004, Kenya was ranked 10th among 22 countries which account for about 80 per cent of the world’s TB cases.

Globally, the highly-infectious but curable disease kills about two million people each year and is spread through coughing and sneezing. According to experts, TB symptoms include a persistent cough that lasts for more than two weeks, unexplained loss of weight, “heavy” sweating at night for weeks or months and fatigue.

Speaking at a function to mark the World TB Day at the hospital, Dr Micheni said: “It is also important for patients diagnosed to be suffering from TB to complete their treatment, particularly with the development of drug-resistant strains of TB.”

Last week, experts sounded an alert over the emergence of a deadly strain of tuberculosis in the country.

It will cost up to Sh1.3 million to treat one case of the multi-drug-resistant TB compared to Sh6,000 for treatment of an “ordinary” case of the disease.

Injected daily

Patients undergoing treatment for MDR TB are expected to be injected daily for the first six months before completing their treatment in two years compared to six months for conventional treatment of the disease.

Speaking at his Afya House office in Nairobi, the director of Medical Services, Dr James Nyikal, said 289 cases of multi-drug-resistant TB had been detected among patients in the last six years. Experts say this form of TB does not respond to the standard treatment using first-line drugs - Rifampicin and Isoniazid.

Dr Nyikal said: “When resistance emerges to the major TB drugs, we’re forced to go back to using older less effective ones. This means a much longer and expensive treatment course while also relying on drugs that are toxic with serious side effects”.

Dr Nyikal said the Government had set up isolation wards and treatment facilities for MDR TB at Kenyatta National and Moi Teaching and referral hospitals.