TB morning

Taken from encore editions

If you didnt already know this, let me tell you now that TB isn't likely to go away from our country. Far from it, the number of cases are rising and I strongly suspect many more are missed as a result of a high turnover of people being shuttled from one place to the other in terms of deportation.

We had a TB mortality meeting this morning. 13 cases discussed. What is worrying is the cases missed during contact tracing and the "hotspot" areas identified where many cases come from. All within a short distance from our hospital. Human nature and lack of understanding of the gravity of the disease  are two main reasons why people default either the medication or the clinic visits. It is also not fashionable to have Tb unlike "cholesterol" or "heart problem" which are great dinner conversation topics. Nobody talks about Tb because the public 's perception is very negative.Or they remain indifferent to the many serious repercussions of defaulting treatment.

This laissez-faire attitude requires a lot of work and time to change. We haven't the resources to do this. So it feels like an uphill battle against TB.

So if you're someone who knows someone who has TB or who may have Tb, please take a little time to explain the seriousness of the disease. And explain the importance of drug compliance.

Thank you

World Tuberculosis Day

Three scenarios seen not infrequently in clinic: a 16-year old girl with a 3-month history of painless left lump at the right side of her neck gets an FNAC done and the report shows granulomatous changes suggstive of tuberculosis. A 23 -ear old man with a 4-month history of unresolving cough despite 2-3 courses of antibiotics presents for further investigation. Chest radiograph showed mild left sided pleural effusion. Sputum AFB direct smear was positive. A 68-year old lady with multiple comorbidities presents with cough for a few weeks, chest radiograph revealed opacities in the right upper zone. Sputum for AFB was negative.

Three very different scenarios above refutes  the opinion that  tuberculosis presents with typical symptoms and affects the  immunocompromised, the immigrant population and the elderly whilst sparing the healthier group of folks

Today is World TB day so I would like to wish for better Tuberculosis care in my own hospital and on a wider scope ...in my country. Let us fight Tuberculosis together.