A week-long tuberculosis (TB) blitz in the Northern Cape has shown that patients are not complying with their TB treatment, the provincial health department said on Thursday.
The Northern Cape provincial minister for health, Shiwe Selao, visited communities such as Kommagas in Namaqualand and Upington in the Siyanda district during the week-long TB blitz, which was part of the province’s ongoing TB-awareness campaign.
”Kommagas has a particularly high rate of Multi-Drug Resistant(MDR) TB cases and currently has at least two full households, of four family members each, who all have MDR-TB,” Shelley Fielding, departmental spokesperson, said.
She said the provincial minister, health officials, volunteers and members of TB Free made various door-to-door visits to TB patients, delivering food parcels and also messages of support.
”It was during this time it … became evident that many patients are not complying with their TB treatment.
”They also admitted to using alcohol and smoking whilst on treatment.”
Fielding said during the campaign, communities were informed on TB issues that have become critical in the fight against the illness.
The department said their message is: ”If you do not comply with your TB treatment, you are at risk of developing MDR-TB and even Extreme-Drug Resistant (XDR) TB.”
Fielding said a group of people taking part in the ”59 Days Training for Home-Based Care-Givers” has also been incorporated in the TB blitz.
Three people in the province have been diagnosed with XDR-TB.
”All three patients were admitted at Gordonia Hospital in Upington and are in a stable condition,” Fielding said. — Sapa