The world's #2 killer becomes a whole lot deadlier

[bascule]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1996612,00.html

 

A new tuberculosis strain is highly infectious (spread by airborne droplets) and kills 98% of those infected within 2 weeks

 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[JohnB]

Yes it did, but let's not panic. Science Daily also has an article on this.

 

From the article.

On September 01, 2006, the World Health Organisation announced that a deadly new strain of XDR-TB had been detected in Tugela Ferry, a rural town in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, the epicentre of South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic. Of the 544 patients studied in the area in 2005, 221 had MDR-TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to at least rifampicin and isoniazid). Of these 221 cases, 53 were identified as XDR-TB (i.e. MDR-TB plus resistance to at least three of the six classes of second line drug treatments). Of the 53, 44 were tested for HIV and all were HIV infected.

 

This strain of XDR-TB in Kwazulu-Natal proved to be particularly deadly: 52 of the 53 patients died (within a median of 16 days of the initial collection of sputum for diagnostic purposes).

 

You'll note the report was September 01, 2006 reporting on a study done in 2005, over 12 months before. All those who died that were tested for HIV tested positive, so I think it would be fair to say that the new strain is deadlier for those with HIV than those without.

 

The Sunday Tribune also ran a story on this in November last year. The article points out that one of the reasons for the rise in XDR-TB is the change in definition by the WHO.

"They have softened the definition of diagnosing XDR TB. Before we used a very strict diagnosis and a patient had to be resistant to all second-line TB drugs to be declared to have XDR TB," he said.

 

The head of TB control at the hospital, Dr Kenny Moll, said he was not surprised at the figures.

 

"We had expected the increase since the new definition came into effect last month. Our hospital has been vigorous in diagnosing people who show the symptoms of drug-resistant TB."

 

Most XDR TB patients at the institution were HIV-positive and the death rate of those patients was 73%.

 

I think this is a cause for concern, but not alarm.