Drug shortages could double TB cases â€" medics

Mar 22, 2009

HEALTH officials have warned that drug shortages could double cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB).

By Irene Nabusoba

HEALTH officials have warned that drug shortages could double cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB).

Dr. Henry Luwaga from the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme, said the development could reverse strides made in the fight against the disease.

“The shortage of TB drugs has been on for several months now. We started borrowing (drugs) from lower health units. We are now borrowing from Kenya and shall refund when we get our stocks,” Luwaga said.

He was speaking at the opening of a TB unit at the Nsambya Hospital HIV and Homecare Department recently.

Luwaga urged the Government to contain the looming crisis, saying alternative second line treatment is expensive.

“The first line treatment for tuberculosis costs about $25 (sh50,000) per patient for eight months and the other alternative for second line treatment is thousands of dollars,” he explained,
Luwaga regretted that no local study had been carried out on multi-drug resistant TB, saying such a survey was vital in obtaining funds to procure drugs for the disease.

Dr. Maria Nanyonga Musoke, the coordinator of the hospital’s homecare department, said they receive about 80 new cases of TB every month, attributing the increase to HIV/AIDS.

She urged the Government to provide protection to health workers attending to the patients to avoid infections. Uganda is ranked 15th on the list of 22 high-burden tuberculosis countries.

TB is a viral disease caused by germs that are spread through the air. It affects the lungs and other parts of the body such as the brain, kidney and the spine.

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