Gains as TB infections in Rwanda fall by 25pc

By SYLVIA RUGINA Rwanda Today
Posted Saturday, April 12 2014 at 12:11
IN SUMMARY
Thanks to the drastic measures adopted in the fight against TB, Rwanda
has recorded a 25 per cent reduction of TB patients.
Every morning for 13 years now, Sr Josiane Euneck Mukankubito makes
sure her patients take their drugs without fail.
It is here at Biryogo Health Centre located in the heart of
Nyamirambo, one of the poorest and most densely populated
neighbourhoods of Kigali that Sr Mukankubito is in charge of the
tuberculosis (TB) and HIV section.
In her small medical room, before dispensing the drugs, the soft
spoken nurse starts with weighing patients to enable her to calculate
medication dosage for each individual. Then she calls out one patient
at a time.
Like a routine, each patient comes in the small room, picks a white
plastic container labelled with their names that they use as a cup,
stretch out their hands to receive their dose then take it right in
front of Sr Mukankubito.
"These patients are strictly required to come in very early in the
morning. This is to make sure they take their drugs before their first
meal of the day and before they engage in other activities. Besides
medication, we provide meals for needy patients," says Sr Mukankubito.
She is in charge of 52 patients with normal TB and four with MDR-TB,
who were discharged from different hospitals countrywide.
TB is an infectious disease that is caused by a bacterium called
Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can attack any part of the body but is
primarily found in the lungs. TB and HIV are closely linked.
"The TB bacteria becomes active if the bacterium finds a weak immune
system, such as in people living with HIV and diabetes. In fact almost
99 per cent of TB patients are people who have been tested for HIV and
about 90 per cent of these cases turn out to be HIV positive because
the two diseases are linked," says Dr Michel Gasana, head of TB &
Other Respiratory Communicable Diseases Division at the Ministry of
Health.
"The most dangerous TB is the MDR-TB, which arises due to improper
treatment regimens and failure to complete the whole course of
treatment by the patients. Thanks to the drastic measures adopted in
the fight against TB, Rwanda has recorded a 25 per cent reduction of
TB patients. When the Institute of HIV/AIDS, Disease Prevention &
Control was opened in 2005, it recorded 8,000 TB patients; by end of
2013, our statistics show that there are now 6,000 TB patients
countrywide," states Dr Gasana.
Dr Gasana also says that MDR-TB patients do not need to be isolated in
the hospitals throughout their treatment. The first three months are
crucial to be in hospitals, but the patient can be released later with
proper management and follow-up on drug administration.
These patients can live with their families without exposing them to
TB infection.
Besides, following up on patients in the health centres, there are two
voluntary community health workers in each village "Umudugudu" who
make a follow up on all TB patients living within their jurisdiction.
The two ensure proper administration of treatment regimens and that
patients complete the whole course of treatment.
In Rwanda, TB tests can be done in any health centre and hospital.
"It is very expensive to treat TB patients. One patient costs the
government about $30 in nine months. While the MDR-TB costs $3,000,"
says Dr Gasana.
There are about 47 patients countrywide with MDR-TB. Because of the
strain, the treatment for this type of TB takes two years.
There are three hospitals with MDR-TB wards: Kibagabaga district
hospital in Kigali, Kibungo district hospital in the Eastern province
and Kabutare hospital in Huye district.
Rwanda is the first country in the region to put up a centre of
excellence for management of MDR –TB. Since its inception in 2005, the
centre has recorded remarkable strides prompting countries such as
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Ethiopia to visit Rwanda to
learn.
http://www.google.ca/gwt/x?gl=CA&hl=en-CA&u=http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/News/Gains-as-TB-infections-in-Rwanda-fall-by-25pc-/-/1433218/2276930/-/dybaexz/-/index.html&q=Gains+as+TB+infections+in+Rwanda+fall+by+25pc&sa=X&ei=Os5JU_nKMarD0AG1sIHwAw&ved=0CBsQFjAA
--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
Google+: https://plus.google.com/110493390983174363421/posts
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9B4024D0AE764F3D
http://www.youtube.com/user/sibomanaxyz999
***Online Time:15H30-20H30, heure de Montréal.***Fuseau horaire
domestique: heure normale de la côte Est des Etats-Unis et Canada
(GMT-05:00)***
| Reply via web post | Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic | Messages in this topic (1) |
.To post a message: RwandaLibre@yahoogroups.com; .To join: RwandaLibre-subscribe@yahoogroups.com; .To unsubscribe from this group,send an email to:
RwandaLibre-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
_____________________________________________________
More news: http://www.amakurunamateka.com ; http://www.ikangurambaga.com ; http://rwandalibre.blogspot.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-SVP, considérer environnement avant toute impression de cet e-mail ou les pièces jointes.
======
-Please consider the environment before printing this email or any attachments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsors:
http://www.afriqueintimites.com; http://www.afriqueintimites.com;
http://www.eyumbina.com/; http://www.foraha.net/
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.