BYCRONAN SCANLON
CONCERN has been expressed at the high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among Donegal people in recent years.
There were thirty four reported cases of TB in Donegal between 2000 to 2005 it has emerged.
The figures, obtained from the Health Service Executive NW (HSE), also reveal that ten people in the county contacted the infectious disease in 2004.
TB is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the mycobacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium bovis. Tuberculosis most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones, joints, and even the skin.
Well know Letterkenny GP, Dr Jim McDaid, said that he was surprised and concerned at the high number of reported TB cases here.
"Of course the figure is high, it (TB) was supposed to have been eradicated years ago," Dr McDaid said.
"I would be concerned with these figures. All family members and anyone who has come in contact with an infected person has to be X-rayed. They used to have to be sent to a specialist unit in Peamont Hospital in Dublin but the disease can be treated more easily now with antibiotics. It is not as hard to treat as it used to be, however, the problem is that TB is a highly infectious disease," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Dr Mgt Hannan, Consultant Microbiologist in the Mater Hospital, Dublin, is an expert on the subject who claims that the Government is not doing enough to halt the spread of the disease.
Speaking in last week's edition of the Irish Examiner she said that the country is one of the few that has failed to adopt the World Health Organisation's (WHO) basic public health approach to TB control known as DOTS (directly observed treatment), although the Government is funding such programmes in other countries. Cases per head of population are twice what they are in the North while incidents in Dublin appear to be three times that of the rest of the country.
"This is a no-brainer. It is a devastating disease and it is a scandal we do not have DOTS. The Irish Government funds WHO programmes internationally but not at home. There is no funding for TB at home," said Dr Hannan.
The key to TB control is awareness, rapid diagnosis, a good laboratory, starting patients straightaway on treatment, supervising them and checking on who else may have picked it up from them, said Dr Hannan.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the HSE said that special unit is not required for the management of patients with tuberculosis.
"A special unit is not required for the management of patients with tuberculosis. If a patient is suspected to have respiratory tuberculosis and is admitted to hospital, they will be isolated in a single room and infection control precautions will be taken until either they are determined not to have TB or they are considered to be non-infectious. Many patients with TB can be treated without admission to hospital," the spokesperson said.
