The extreme drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has been detected at 39 KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) hospitals, the Witness newspaper reported on Thursday.
This emerged during a session of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature being held in Dududu on the province’s south coast.
Provincial minister of health Peggy Nkonyeni also informed the legislature that the cases detected since 2005 are not restricted to the Tugela Ferry area but have been detected across the province.
Nkonyeni said the province has one laboratory that could test for XDR-TB.
It has 11 semi-automated midget machines for testing and can test 10 000 specimens a month.
Nkonyeni said plans are under way to expand the facility and posts have been advertised to accommodate the increased workload.
Last week the national Health Department said 303 cases of XDR-TB have been identified nationally. Of those, 263 cases were reported in KwaZulu-Natal. — Sapa